Kicking has become a real headache in Green Bay, and the Packers are now asking rookie Trey Smack to clean it up fast.
That’s a tough ask in a division where the other teams have at least some certainty at the position. The NFC North’s kicking picture for 2026 starts with a rookie in flux, includes a pair of veterans trying to steady their teams, and ends with one of the league’s most dependable legs in Minnesota.
- Trey Smack, Green Bay Packers
The Packers drafted Smack hoping he could become the answer, but he enters the summer with plenty to prove. He may not even be locked in as Green Bay’s top option yet, with Lucas Havrisik still in the mix before Week 1.
There’s no reason to stamp the pick a bust this early, but the early signs haven’t been encouraging. Smack was uneven during OTAs and minicamp, and that’s supposed to be the easy part. The pressure only gets heavier once the games count.
His issues with wind are especially concerning in Green Bay. ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported that Smack missed four of nine kicks during a June 2 practice in a “strong crosswind.”
That’s not exactly the kind of start that settles nerves in a place where fall weather can turn every kick into a small science experiment. The Packers gave up two Day 3 picks to get him, so he has to show real progress this summer to keep the job.
- Jake Bates, Detroit Lions
Bates came into 2025 with momentum after a strong rookie year, but last season knocked him off course. Detroit needs him to rebound if it wants to chase bigger goals this fall.
He missed seven field goals and two extra points in 2025, finishing at 79.4 percent on field goals. That placed him 32nd among 39 NFL kickers. One miss hurt in particular: a blocked 45-yard try in a three-point loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
The Lions are aiming high, but that only works if Bates gets back to the level they expected from him.
- Cairo Santos, Chicago Bears
Santos doesn’t put up eye-popping numbers, but he delivered when Chicago needed him most. He made 83.3 percent of his field goals last season, missing five, which ranked 26th in the NFL. Still, the Bears trusted him in the biggest moments, and he came through.
That mattered in the kind of weather Packers fans know all too well. Santos was at his best late in the year, when the wind howls and the temperatures drop.
In Chicago’s wild-card win over Green Bay, he drilled all three field goals, including a 51-yarder, and both extra points. Brandon McManus, meanwhile, left Green Bay short seven points after missing kicks from 55 and 44 yards, plus an extra point.
Santos kept it going in the divisional round, hitting a 48-yard field goal and both extra-point attempts. It wasn’t a flawless season, but the Bears got exactly what they needed from their veteran kicker.
- Will Reichard, Minnesota Vikings
Reichard sits at the top of the division, and he’s there by a mile. His second season in Minnesota was strong enough to earn first-team All-Pro honors.
He made 94.3 percent of his field goals and was perfect on extra points. His only two field-goal misses came from 53 and 51 yards, which hardly dent the overall picture. Reichard was especially dangerous from long range, hitting 11 of 13 attempts from 50 yards and beyond, including a franchise-record 62-yarder.
The bigger story is how steady he was from everywhere else. On kicks from 49 yards or closer, he went 22-for-22. He also stretched his perfect extra-point streak to 69, and he hasn’t missed a PAT since entering the league in 2024.
Santos gives Chicago reliability. Bates still has a chance to bounce back in Detroit.
Green Bay’s situation is messy. Minnesota, though, has Reichard - and right now, that’s the cleanest kicking setup in the NFC North.
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