Broncos Release K Brandon McManus With June 1 Designation

Broncos K Brandon McManus announced on Twitter that the team has informed him he will be released. 

The @Broncos have informed me I’ve been released. More to come in the following days

— Brandon McManus (@thekidmcmanus) May 23, 2023

This comes as a surprise given McManus is one of the more experienced and reliable kickers in the league right now, although he is coming off of a down year relative to his career averages. He also attempted 13 field goals of more than 50 yards. 

The Broncos have completely new special teams coaches in the building as well under new HC Sean Payton, and that could have played a role. 

Zac Stevens reports the Broncos used a June 1 designation to release McManus, splitting the dead money between 2023 and 2024. The move saves Denver $3.75 million in cap space while leaving $1.23 million dead money charges this year and next. 

McManus, 31, originally signed on with the Colts back in 2013. He lasted just a few months with the Colts before he caught on with the Giants at the end of the 2014 season.

New York later traded McManus to the Broncos for a 2015 conditional seventh-round pick. McManus returned to the Broncos in 2017 on a one-year, restricted tender worth $2.746 million and later agreed to a three-year, $11.254 million extension. 

McManus agreed to another four-year, $17.2 million extension with the Broncos in 2020. He had two years remaining on the deal and was due base salaries of $3.65 million and $3.85 million. 

In 2022, McManus appeared in all 17 games for the Broncos and converted 28 of 36 field goal attempts (77.8 percent) to go along with 25 of 27 extra point tries (92.6 percent).