The Green Bay Packers made the decision to move on from franchise all-time leading scorer Mason Crosby after the 2022 NFL season. After 16 years in Green Bay, Crosby is without a team and the Packers have one kicker in training camp: Anders Carlson, whom the Packers drafted in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
All offseason, up until the draft and after it, Packers fans have been pretty outspoken about wanting Crosby back for one more season. These opinions got even louder on Saturday after Carlson went a woeful 1-6 on field goal attempts during Saturday’s practice.
Green Bay Packers Fans Want Mason Crosby Back
After several Packers fans and media personalities shared that Carlson struggled on Saturday, others took to social media to call for Crosby’s return to Green Bay:
Brian Gutekunst did say that the Packers would never close the door on a Mason Crosby return. They’re more than likely going to ride through Anders Carlson’s struggles and it’s way too premature to suggest otherwise, but,,, no. 2 is still available.
— zach jacobson (@itszacharyj) July 29, 2023
Calling Mason Crosby. Please report to 1265 Lombardi Avenue to begin practicing for the 2023 season. 🏈 pic.twitter.com/2ONZmef7hR
— Jeff Ostach☮️ (@jeff_ostach) July 29, 2023
The new field goal kicker for the Green Bay Packers Anders Carlson missed some field goals in practice today. I’m missing Mason Crosby already! #GoPackGo
— Mark Michalski (@mark_michalski) July 29, 2023
Mason Crosby may be in a Packers uniform on opening day after all.
— Scott Scott (@ecwiscott) July 29, 2023
We need Mason Crosby. https://t.co/B8JnCdo4xs
— Courtney. (@CLO93_30) July 29, 2023
Time to call Mason Crosby back @packers https://t.co/XD1UZBTlKm pic.twitter.com/vQh9i1vEIX
— sam tastad (@samtastad) July 29, 2023
It is understandable that fans would miss a fan favorite immediately after he leaves. It is also understandable that they are skeptical of a rookie kicker.
That being said, fans were not always so keen on keeping Crosby around.
Green Bay Packers Fans Wanted Mason Crosby Gone Several Times Over the Years
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If Packers fans are truly honest with themselves, they will realize that it was not all sunshine and roses with Crosby as the kicker. Don’t get it twisted: he was an above average kicker who belong in the team’s Hall of Fame. That being said, there were multiple down years, very recently, that had Packers fans calling for his immediate release:
Oh hey, weekly tweet: cut Mason Crosby
— TITLΣTΩШΠ RΣIGΠ 🏆🧀 (@TitletownReign) November 21, 2021
Cut Mason Crosby
— Sean Deglow (@sean_deglow) October 6, 2020
How the hell have the Packers not cut Mason Crosby yet? 8 misses this season, he’s so bad.
— 🅿️at (@parallelpatrick) November 21, 2021
When are the packers going to finally cut Mason Crosby?
— Him Duncan (@thelastmclean21) November 13, 2022
Time to cut Mason Crosby and fire Mike McCarthy…
— Stephen S (@Safimod) December 2, 2018
Can we please cut Mason Crosby after this year?
— Jeremy 📱 (@JERMO262) November 18, 2022
Look at the years on those Tweets: 2018, 2020, 2021, and last season.
The point here is not to make fans look foolish, but to point out that Crosby was nowhere near as good in recent years as fans are making him out to be. In 2021, Crosby’s 73.5% field goal accuracy was the second-worst of his career. Last season, he was only able to achieve a touchback on 20.3% of kickoffs, his worst since 2010.
Yes, Carlson had a bad day. However, he also started training camp 5-6 on his field goal attempts. And let’s not forget the kicks he made during OTA’s that had Aaron Jones raving about him to the media.
It is still to early to hand Carlson the kicker job, but it is also too early to write him off. It’s been four days.
Unsure about the Packers’ kicker situation? Dive deeper into the Green Bay Packers Rumors for the latest updates on Crosby, Carlson, and more.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Mason Crosby's middle name?
Mason Walker Crosby's middle name is Walker. Mason Walker Crosby (born September 3, 1984) is an American football placekicker who is currently a free agent.
What did Mason Crosby do?
Mason Crosby, the all-time leading scorer for the Packers, accumulated 1,918 points throughout his career. Last season, he maintained an impressive success rate of 80% by converting 25 out of 29 attempted field goals. With a career average of 81.4%, Crosby is one of the most reliable kickers in the league.
