The Denver Broncos released veteran kicker Brandon McManus with a Post-June 1 designation, the team announced Tuesday. He was the last remaining member of from the team’s Super Bowl 50 win.
McManus said he was made aware of the move in a Tweet, adding that there would be “more to come in the following days.”
The 31-year-old joined the Broncos in trade from the New York Giants prior to the 2014 season. In his second season with the team, he made all 10 of his postseason attempts on Denver’s road to their most recent Super Bowl win. McManus signed a four-year extension in 2020, which had two years remaining.
Justin Simmons, a safety drafted in 2016 after the championship victory, is now the Broncos’ longest tenured player.
McManus will leave a mark as the team’s second-leading scorer behind fellow kicker Jason Elam. He is an NFL Players Association vice president and a member of the organization’s executive board. His Project McManus foundation was established after he joined the Broncos. “to empower at-risk and disadvantaged youth through literacy, resource, scholarship and educational programming.”
Broncos general manager offered the longtime kicker words of gratitude in a statement.
“Brandon has been a key player and presence with the Broncos for nearly a decade, making outstanding contributions to our team and community,” he said. “Developing into one of the NFL’s most productive kickers, Brandon made so many clutch kicks for this franchise over the years as a Super Bowl champion and team captain. He will always hold a special place in Denver Broncos history. We thank Brandon for all he did for the Broncos, and we wish him and his family the very best in the future.”
McManus made 28 of his 36 field goal attempts last season for 77.8% accuracy. It was his first season since 2017 to record under 80% of his field goal attempts.
According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston, the Denver Broncos are working out former Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher on Wednesday. Maher missed an NFL-record four extra points in an NFC wild-card playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The tough postseason for Maher came after an otherwise smooth year. He was 50-of-53 on extra-point attempts, hitting 90.6% of his field goals in the regular season.