Veteran kicker Mason Crosby is dealing with a right knee injury that recently required surgical intervention as the Green Bay Packers open training camp.
Crosby, who turns 38 years old in September, started camp on the physically unable to perform list. According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, Crosby had his knee scoped earlier this month.
“I have a right knee injury that I’ve been dealing with here through the offseason. Wear and tear over the years, different things. It didn’t feel like it was where it needed to be at the end of OTAs,” Crosby said Wednesday. “Just trying to get healthy. Get right. Just make sure by the regular season, at the very latest, that I’m ready to roll.”
Crosby said he’s hopeful that he can work with the kicking unit before the end of training camp but reiterated that, at this point of his career, he doesn’t need to kick during preseason games.
The Packers have rookie Gabe Brkic on the roster as the second kicker. The Oklahoma product will likely get a chance to handle all kicking duties for the Packers during most of camp and the preseason, providing a terrific opportunity to either push for the job in Green Bay or audition elsewhere this summer.
The injury is a concerning issue for an aging kicker – especially a right-legged kicker – coming off one of the worst seasons of his professional career. In 2021, Crosby missed nine field goals and finished with a field goal percentage of just 73.5, the second worst of his career.
Crosby is also going into the final year of his deal in 2022. He’ll make a base salary of $2.25 million, with a cap hit of $4.75 million. The Packers could save almost $2.4 million by moving on but would risk entering the 2022 season without an established kicker.