Ranking the Packers (No. 14): Mason Crosby
GREEN BAY, Wis. – In a tradition that stretches more than a decade, here is our annual ranking of the 90 players on the Green Bay Packers’ roster. This isn’t merely a look at the best players. Rather, it’s a formula that combines talent, salary, importance of the position, depth at the position and, for young players, draft positioning. More than the ranking, we hope you learn a little something about every player on the roster.
No. 14: K Mason Crosby (6-1, 207, 14th season, Colorado)
Coming off the most-accurate season of his career, Crosby was set to be a free agent for the first time in his long career.
“I have to always view it as a business,” Crosby said at the end of the season. “Obviously, I have personal relationships here in Green Bay and strong tied with this team for the last 13 years. The guys in this locker room, the relationships I have with the coaches and the personnel guys upstairs, it’s been home for me for a long time. It’s hard to think about anything else but I’ll have to be mindful that it is a business and I have to prepare myself for that. … I’m optimistic that we’ll at least have the conversations and, hopefully, try to get something done.”
Something got done before the start of free agency, with the Packers retaining Crosby with a three-year deal worth $12.9 million.
“Really happy to have him back,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “Obviously, he’s been a 14-year pro now. Holds all his records. I think by the time he’s done with us – at least in our lifetime – it’ll be pretty hard for anybody to catch that. So, he’s a leader in our locker room. Just a really positive impact on our football team. So, glad to have him back.”
Crosby is coming off the best season of his career from an accuracy standpoint, his 22-of-24 on field goals equating to 91.7 percent – his first season of 90-plus percent. In fact, since his infamous five-miss game at Detroit in Week 5 of the 2018 season, Crosby has missed a total of five kicks in his last 29 games: 41-of-45 on field goals and 72-of-73 on extra points. Including one missed extra point this year, Crosby missed a total of three kicks while making game-winners in both games against Detroit. That resume, built with a bunch of kicks made in less-than-ideal settings, made him arguably the top kicker on the free-agent market.
Crosby ranks eighth among kickers with a 2020 cap charge of $4 million. The Packers could have saved money by going younger and cheaper but they went with the sure thing. While good kickers can be found on a budget, there are no guarantees. Look no further than Minnesota. Indeed, while the Vikings drafted Daniel Carlson in the fifth round in 2018 and traded a fifth-round pick for Kaare Vedvik in 2019, neither played for the Vikings last season. Chicago’s troubles have been well-documented. Tennessee’s menagerie of kickers combined to make an unthinkable 44.4 percent of their field-goal attempts.
“He’s a true pro,” special teams coordinator Shawn Mennenga said during an offseason Zoom call. “He does a great job in everything that he does, from taking care of his body to his routine throughout the week, his mental approach. He’s been in all the situations as far as nothing really shakes him. He’s extremely mentally strong. I know that Mason will be able to continue to perform at an extremely high level.”
Why he’s so important: The Packers’ margin for error last season was incredibly small. They went 13-3 but they were hardly dominant, being outgained over the course of the season and going 8-1 in one-score games. Unless the standard of play is greatly elevated, chances are the Packers will be playing a lot of close games again. That means every point will be precious, and that means Crosby will have a key role in the fate of the season.
“He’s been through everything,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “There’s nothing he hasn’t seen. He came up big for us last season, and we expect the same in the future.”
PACKERS ROSTER COUNTDOWN
Part 1 (87 to 90): FB Elijah Wellman, FB Jordan Jones, G Zack Johnson, S Henry Black
Part 2 (83 to 86): CBs DaShaun Amos, Will Sunderland, Stanford Samuels, Marc-Antoine Dequoy
Part 3 (80 to 82): DT Willington Previlon, RB Damarea Crockett, S Frankie Griffin
Part 4 (77 to 79): G Simon Stepaniak, G Cole Madison, T Cody Conway
Part 5 (76): QB Jalen Morton can throw a football 100 yards
Part 6 (73 to 75) TE James Looney, TE Evan Baylis, RB Patrick Taylor
Part 7 (70 to 72) OLBs Jamal Davis, Randy Ramsey, Greg Roberts
Part 8 (67 to 69) LBs Krys Barnes, Delontae Scott, Tipa Galeai
No. 66: Well-rounded OT Travis Bruffy
No. 62: DT Gerald Willis (Note: Released on July 26)
No. 39: WR Equanimeous St. Brown
