Come give us your opinion on who the Packers’ best long snapper of the 2000s was.
On Friday, we began looking at the Green Bay Packers’ best special teams contributors since 2000 as we wind down our All-Quarter Century Team. We picked a kicker and punter on Friday, with Mason Crosby and Tim Masthay getting those nods, and now we look at the players who deliver the football on plays when those two take the field.
That’s right, it’s time to pick the most exciting position of all: long snapper! Thankfully, Green Bay has largely had good luck with long-term snappers over the last 25 years, so there are only a few options to choose from.
Here are the nominees!
Long Snapper Nominees
Rob Davis (2000-2007)
Regular season: 112 games played, 30 total tackles (19 solo, 11 assisted), 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery
Playoffs: 8 games played
Davis was one of the most consistent long snappers in the NFL during his lengthy tenure in Green Bay. After playing college ball at Shippensburg University, Davis snapped for the Bears during the 1996 season, then signed with the Packers midway through 1997. He would have a ten-year career in Green Bay, during which time he served a lengthy tenure as one of the team’s representatives with the NFLPA.
Davis is the only Packers long snapper to force a fumble this century, popping the ball out of the hands of Wisconsin native and then-Bills safety/punt returner Jim Leonhard during a game in 2006.
After retiring from football, Davis joined the Packers’ front office in a player-focused role, initially serving as Director of Player Development. He worked for the Dallas Cowboys under Mike McCarthy for three years, then returned to Green Bay as Director of Organizational Development and DE&I for 2023-24 before joining the Raiders this offseason as VP of Player Engagement.
Brett Goode (2008-2017)
Regular season: 152 games played; 14 total tackles (12 solo, 2 assisted), 1 fumble recovery
Playoffs: 14 games played; 1 solo tackle
After Davis retired, the Packers signed rookie J.J. Jansen to take over snapping duties, but he suffered a torn ACL in training camp. In came Goode, who would win a three-way battle for the job and went on to take every snap for the next several years. Goode would not miss a game until late in 2015, when he tore his own ACL in a late-season contest.
Notably, Goode won jobs over multiple Pro Bowlers. He held on in 2009 and the Packers traded Jansen to Carolina, where he would make the 2013 Pro Bowl. Goode then returned quickly from his own injury in 2016, beating replacement Rick Lovato to get his job back. Lovato ended up with the Eagles, where he remains to this day and was a Pro Bowler in 2019.
Goode’s final season came in 2017, and he dealt with hamstring injuries that limited him to 10 games. The Packers would draft a replacement the following season, and he retired prior to the 2018 season.
Hunter Bradley (2018-2021)
Regular season: 56 games played; 3 total tackles (1 solo, 2 assisted)
Playoffs: 4 games played
Goode’s replacement was Bradley, whom the Packers drafted in the 7th round in 2018 out of Mississippi State. He was okay for three-plus seasons, but ended up being released midway through the 2021 campaign and replaced by free agent Steven Wirtel.
Matt Orzech (2023-2024)
Regular season: 34 games played, 1 solo tackle
Playoffs: 3 games played
After one season of Jack Coco handling snapping duties, the Packers signed Orzech to compete with Coco for the job in 2023. Orzech had previously spent one year in Jacksonville and two with the Los Angeles Rams, and the veteran won the job and has snapped in Green Bay for the last two years. He signed a two-year contract prior to the 2024 season.