Green Bay Packers rookie Trey Smack hit the left upright on an extra point in the first quarter of Thursday's 27-19 win over the Carolina Panthers, his eighth missed kick of the season and the most in the NFL, per ESPN . Smack is 11 of 16 on field goals and 16 of 19 on extra points through eight games. The Packers don't play again until Nov. 8 at New England, which leaves them nine days to decide whether the sixth-round pick is still their kicker.
Head coach Matt LaFleur already answered that question once this week. After a 20-17 loss in Detroit where the Packers had no one to blame but themselves , he was asked if Smack would remain the kicker. "Yes," LaFleur said. "He's proved that he can do it, and I know he can do it." Smack took the loss on himself. "It's a rough loss. I take accountability for my actions," he said, per NFL.com .
Oct 4, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Green Bay Packers kicker Trey Smack (28) follows through on a kick attempt against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
The misses have come in bunches. Smack missed an extra point in Week 1 and had a field goal blocked over his first four games, but he also made kicks from 58 and 59 yards in that stretch. Then came a Brandon McManus-like day against the Bears in Week 5, when he missed an extra point and field goals from 43 and 47 yards in a 31-7 win at Lambeau Field.
Detroit was worse. Smack missed a 26-yarder wide right on the opening drive, and a 35-yard try that would have given Green Bay the lead with 3:25 left was partially blocked. Lions kicker Jake Bates won it late.
Smack's 68.8% field goal rate ranks 29th among 32 qualifying kickers, and he's second-to-last in field goal points over expected at minus-7.28, according to Packers Wire . As we noted after the Bears game, he was 1 of 4 from 40 to 49 yards at that point and 2 of 2 from 50 and beyond.
Sep 20, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Green Bay Packers kicker Trey Smack (28) celebrates with holder Daniel Whelan (19) after kicking a 26-yard game-winning field goal during overtime against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Green Bay put a lot behind this choice. The Packers traded up to select Smack out of Florida in April, then released McManus less than two weeks later, a year into a three-year, $15.3 million extension. McManus is now kicking for the Rams after Blake Grupe's season-ending knee injury.
General manager Brian Gutekunst was honest about the gamble in early September. "Every kicker you have is a bit of a risk, right?" he said. The Packers took that risk on a rookie with a big leg, and Smack has already won a game for them with a 26-yard field goal in overtime to beat the Jets 20-17 in Week 2.
The outside noise has gotten louder anyway. Former Bengals receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh said on his Speakeasy podcast Monday, "Trey Smack is trash. They should get rid of him," per Pro Football Network . Forbes' Rob Reischel wrote after the Lions game that Green Bay should cut Smack immediately .
Green Bay Packers kicker Trey Smack prepares for an attempt against the Denver Broncos in Week 2 of the NFL preseason.
Thursday didn't give Smack a chance to change the conversation. Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes, Josh Jacobs ran one in and Christian Watson returned from the hospital to finish with 113 receiving yards, so Smack never attempted a field goal. He made his last three extra points after the miss. On the other sideline, Carolina's Ryan Fitzgerald made field goals from 39 and 50 yards.
Beating Carolina 27-19 moved Green Bay to 5-3, and the Packers still have more losses than anyone else in the NFC North. One more missed kick in a close game would hurt. The Detroit loss already showed what that costs.
Green Bay has been through this before. Anders Carlson, Brayden Narveson, Lucas Havrisik, Greg Joseph and Alex Hale have all cycled through the Packers' practice fields in recent years, per NFL.com. A workout during the break wouldn't have to mean a change, but it would tell Smack where he stands.
Fans in Titletown groaned when the ball clanged off the upright Thursday night. If Smack steadies himself before the trip to Foxborough, he's still the long-term kicker the Packers traded up to find. If he doesn't, Gutekunst's line about risk is going to come up again.
This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 30, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
