Last week, Lucas Havrisik was just another free-agent kicker waiting for a call — flying to tryouts, staying ready and even considering picking up work as a substitute teacher to fill the quiet days.
By Sunday, he was drilling field goals and extra points in front of 78,000 fans at Lambeau Field as the Green Bay Packers’ emergency replacement for an injured Brandon McManus.
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Signed only 24 hours earlier after a Friday tryout, Havrisik wasn’t even sure he’d suit up for Green Bay’s Week 6 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. But when McManus, nursing a quad injury from practice, was held out after pregame warmups, Havrisik got the nod, and he made the most of it.
He hit all five of his kicks, including a 39-yard field goal in the fourth quarter that helped seal the Packers’ 27-18 win. After the game, head coach Matt LaFleur handed Havrisik the game ball.
“God’s really good,” he said in the locker room when addressing his new teammates, some of whom didn’t even know his name. “I’ve been through a lot of things this past year, so I’m just really thankful.”
Never satisfied pic.twitter.com/nrjSrMuReq
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) October 13, 2025
Just days before arriving in Green Bay, Havrisik had been trying to line up part-time work like substitute teaching in Cleveland, where he recently moved. “It’s super boring to not work,” he told the media after Sunday’s game.
The opportunity came after a series of workouts: New York two weeks earlier, Indianapolis on Tuesday, and now an instant call-up in Green Bay.
“It’s of course strange,” he said. “But I try to do my best to adapt to the situation. I’ve had a lot of workouts in the NFL. I had a red-eye last year to Buffalo and ended up getting signed. I’m a little fried mentally, I guess. I treat it as, this is just your job and be prepared as best as possible. Just be ready for sudden change.”
That mindset has been forged through years of waiting. A Riverside, California, native, Havrisik was a record-setting kicker at Arizona, where he twice tied the school record with a 57-yard field goal. Since going undrafted in 2022, he’s bounced around the league with the Colts, Browns, Bills and Rams. Before Green Bay, he kicked in the United Football League for the Arlington Renegades, leading the league in field goals made.
But it’s his faith — not just his leg — that’s kept him steady through all the transitions. His Instagram bio references John 3:30 (ESV), which reads, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” He also shared that he was baptized in Lake Erie on Sept. 2.
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“I had wrestled with the thought of baptism not knowing why we had to do it and I had already got baptized at a young age,” he wrote on Instagram. “I never personally made the choice to be baptized and had felt convicted over the past few years to do so but never did. I grew up as a ‘christian’ but never read Gods word or knew much about what the gospel really meant. All I knew is that I was a sinner.
“I thought I could be good enough or offer something to God but nothing could pay for my sins, only Jesus could pay the wages of my sin through his death burial and resurrection. Through college God drew me closer to Him by His grace through struggles and various things.”
He went on to share that he moved to Cleveland in June and was being discipled by two men who helped him grow in his faith by walking him through Scripture.
“Baptism doesn’t save you but it’s an act of obedience to God, publicly declaring your faith in Jesus Christ,” he wrote. “Thank you Jesus!”
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It’s uncertain whether Havrisik will start for the Packers this week when they face the Arizona Cardinals, but as of Thursday, he was practicing while McManus remained sidelined. The team also released kicker Mark McNamee from the practice squad, a move that could indicate Havrisik is likely to stick around, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.
The Packers and Cardinals kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday on Fox.
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