The Denver Broncos have released veteran kicker Brandon McManus with a Post-June 1 designation, the team announced Tuesday. He is the last remaining member from the Super Bowl 50 winning team.
McManus said he was informed of the move by a Tweetadding that there will be “more to come in the next few days.”
The 31-year-old joined the Broncos in a trade from the New York Giants before 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 victory. McManus signed a four-year extension in 2020, with two years remaining.
Justin Simmons, a safety drafted in 2016 after the championship win, 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 a vice president of the NFL Players Association 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, resources, scholarships and educational programs.”
The Broncos’ general manager offered long-awaited words of thanks in a statement.
“Brandon has been a key player and presence at the Broncos for nearly a decade, making outstanding contributions to our team and community,” he said. “Growing into one of the most productive kickers in the NFL, Brandon made 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 has done for the Broncos, and we wish him and his family the best in the future.
McManus made 28 of his 36 field goal attempts last season for 77.8% accuracy. This is his first season since 2017 recording less than 80% of his field goal attempts.
According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston, the Denver Broncos worked out former Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher on Wednesday. Maher missed an NFL-record four extra points in the NFC wild-card playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The difficult postseason for Maher came after a smooth year. He was 50-of-53 on extra-point attempts, hitting 90.6% of his field goals in the regular season.