Kicking is often an afterthought in the NFL, but this phase of the game can determine outcomes of division titles, playoff contests, and even Super Bowls. The Green Bay Packers enjoyed years of stability at the position thanks to Mason Crosby, but is he the greatest kicker in franchise history?
The best kickers are the ones you don’t talk about. Much like a movie editor, people only bring up your name if you make a mistake. If fans are actually watching an extra-point attempt, chances are, the kicker is under pressure.
It’s also one of the most unforgiving positions in all of sports. Even the most reliable and consistent kickers can find themselves out of work after a string of bad performances. It’s that important.
Who are the greatest kickers in Packers history? That’s what we are here to find out.
Criteria for selection
Consistency and handling pressure. If you can’t check both of those boxes, you likely won’t last long as an NFL kicker. It’s crucial to provide stability at the position, making kicks within 40 yards look easy while also converting a healthy percentage of longer kicks.
The best of the best can do it when the whole world is watching. Whether it’s a game-winner in the regular season or a kick in key moments of a playoff game, the kickers who can get the job done under immense pressure deserve extra credit.
Longevity is also a factor. It’s hard to make kicks consistently, year in and year out. Every kicker goes through challenging stretches in their career, but the best can overcome that and regain their composure.
What about moments? Crucial kicks when the season was on the line? Kicking in the NFL is mostly a thankless job, but they can create moments that live forever.
The top 5 kickers in Green Bay Packers history
5. Jan Stenerud (1980-1983)
Jan Stenerud enjoyed an incredible 19-year Hall of Fame career, including four seasons with the Packers. Despite arriving in Green Bay in his age-38 season, Stenerud provided the stability and consistency the team had been searching for, converting 80.8 percent of his field-goal attempts in 45 games. That percentage is good for third-best in Packers franchise history.
Along with consistency, Stenerud also made kicks at the most important times, including the Packers’ playoff run in 1982. It was their only postseason appearance during Stenerud’s four-year stay in Green Bay, but he converted all four field-goal attempts.
Stenerud had already spent 13 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs before his arrival, but even late in his career, he continued to play at a high level for the Packers. In 1981, his 91.7 percentage on field goals led the NFL.
Including his time with the Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings, Stenerud finished his career with a Super Bowl win, four first-team All-Pro selections, and four Pro Bowls. Importantly, he provided the stability the Packers desperately needed in the kicking game.
4. Chester Marcol (1972-1980)
How many kickers can say they have caught their own field goal and run it in for a touchdown? Chester Marcol can. In a 1980 game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field, Marcol’s field goal was initially blocked but bounced back into his arms, where he took it to the end zone—a legendary moment.
The Packers selected Marcol in the second round of the 1972 NFL Draft, and he quickly proved them right. In his rookie season, he led the league in field-goal conversions, won the NFC Rookie of the Year award, and even came sixth in the NFL MVP voting. No, that’s not a typo. He received two MVP votes.
In almost a decade with the Packers, Marcol led the league in scoring twice and made two first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl teams. He holds an NFL record for most field-goal attempts by a rookie and shares the Packers’ record for field-goal conversions in a single season. In 1987, Marcol was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.
3. Chris Jacke (1989-1996)
It isn’t easy to find consistency and stability at the kicker position. Chris Jacke provided that for eight seasons in Green Bay. He converted 77.2 percent of his field goals, the fourth-best record in franchise history, and his 820 points scored is fourth-best and only five points behind the legendary Don Hutson.
A sixth-round pick in 1989, Jacke quickly made an impact. His 78.6 conversion percentage on field goals helped him earn PFWA All-Rookie honors. Four years later, he would become a first-team All-Pro after converting a career-best 83.8 percent of his field-goal attempts.
Arguably Jacke’s most memorable moment came during the Packers’ Super Bowl season in 1996. A crucial game against the San Francisco 49ers went to overtime, and Jacke sealed the win with a 53-yard field goal that went straight down the middle. He would go on to convert all 11 field goals in the postseason, including three in the Packers’ Super Bowl XXXI victory over the New England Patriots.
2. Ryan Longwell (1997-2005)
Kicking for the Packers is a far tougher task than for a team in a dome. Lambeau Field conditions become challenging late in the year, from swirling winds to having to boot a rock-hard ball in frozen temperatures. That’s what makes Ryan Longwell’s tenure with the Packers so impressive.
His name summed his career up perfectly. He spent a long time in Green Bay and consistently kicked the ball well.
An injury to first choice Brett Conway created an opportunity for Longwell to kick, and he never looked back. He converted exactly 80 percent of his field goals and a league-high 48 extra-point tries in his first season, setting the standard he would continue throughout his career.
Longwell holds the Packers’ all-time record for field-goal percentage (minimum 100 kicks) at 81.6. He ranks second in franchise history for points scored, with an incredible 1,054. In nine seasons, Longwell converted 226 of 277 field goals and 376 of 380 extra points. After he left Green Bay, he was undoubtedly the Packers’ greatest kicker. That was until another player came along two years later…
1. Mason Crosby (2007-2022)
Sixteen years. I repeat, sixteen years. People say the NFL should stand for “Not For Long,” and that’s especially true at the kicker position. Some kickers don’t even get to make 16 field-goal attempts before they get released.
Mason Crosby raised the bar to a level that may never get beaten by a Packers kicker. He set a franchise record with 258 consecutive games played. It’s an incredible accomplishment.
Crosby isn’t just at the top of this list for his longevity but also for his ability to make kicks under the highest pressure. The former sixth-round pick holds an NFL record for most consecutive postseason field goals, with 23. He didn’t miss a playoff field goal between the NFC Championship Game in 2011 and the same round of the 2017 postseason.
He built a career on clutch kicks, from his 51-yard game-winner to stun the Dallas Cowboys in the 2016 divisional round, to a 48-yarder in challenging conditions to save the Packers’ season in the 2014 NFC title game. Crosby converted 12 game-winners in his Packers career, including in his debut.
And how can we forget when Crosby saved a kick-return touchdown by forcing a fumble?
Cordarrelle Patterson has nine career kick-return touchdowns, earning four first-team All-Pro selections. He almost certainly would’ve had a 10th touchdown had it not been for Crosby. Patterson ran through the entire Packers’ special teams unit and looked destined to score. Then, out of nowhere, Crosby made a leaping tackle to force a fumble.
Crosby enjoyed 16 seasons in Green Bay and helped the team win Super Bowl XLV. He is the greatest kicker in Packers history, and he may hold that title forever.
The 5 best kickers in Packers history by field goal percentage (minimum 100 kicks)
