GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) – Green Bay Packers kicker Brandon McManus said he is grateful for his final chance and confident that the circumstances that kept him out of the NFL earlier this season are behind him.

He joined the team on Wednesday when Green Bay signed the 33-year-old veteran to replace struggling rookie kicker Brayden Narveson, who has missed a league-high five field goal attempts. McManus has been unemployed since the summer Two women sued him and the Jacksonville Jaguars in civil court He claimed he sexually abused her while they were working as flight attendants on the Jaguars' trip to London.

McManus and an attorney representing him said the lawsuit has been settled. McManus did not go into details.

“The case has been resolved,” attorney Brett Gallaway said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to seeing Brandon play for the Packers on Sunday.”

Tony Buzbee, an attorney representing the women, confirmed that the plaintiffs had resolved their claims against both McManus and the Jaguars. Buzbee added that “the terms of both settlements are confidential.”

“The last few months have been a difficult time,” McManus said. “I’m glad it’s a thing of the past now. I hoped and worked hard for another opportunity. I am extremely grateful to the Green Bay Packers for giving me the next opportunity to come back here and play the game I love.”

The NFL said late last month No sufficient evidence was found to show that McManus violated the personal conduct policy.

In court documents, the documents were initially filed under pseudonyms in late May then again at the beginning of September use their names if A judge ruled The lawsuit did not meet the criteria for anonymity. The women allege McManus tried to kiss one of them and rubbed against both of them while they tried to carry out their work duties during the transatlantic flight on September 28, 2023. The team was on its way to playing two games in the UK.

“The matter has been resolved,” McManus said. “I was always open and honest. So I was able to get through it all to some extent.”

McManus signed with Washington as a free agent in March and was on the Commanders' roster when the lawsuit was filed. They released him soon afterwards.

“Obviously without these allegations he wouldn't be available now, but I think the league did a really thorough investigation and we relied on that in reviewing it,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said.

Gutekunst said he spoke to McManus about it on Tuesday.

“We wanted to make sure we did our due diligence,” Gutekunst said. “We feel really good about where we’re sitting now. We’re excited to have him out there.”

The Packers have struggled to find a reliable kicker since moving on from Mason Crosby, who held the job from 2007 to 2022 and remains the franchise's all-time leading scorer.

Green Bay selected Different Carlson left in the sixth round of the 2023 draft to Auburn but managed to score inconsistent rookie season by missing a 41-yard field goal in the fourth quarter 24-21 playoff loss in San Francisco. After Carlson and veteran Greg Joseph competed for the job in training camp, the Packers went in a different direction and claimed Narveson off waivers from the Tennessee Titans.

Narveson was 12 of 17 on field goal attempts. The Packers (4-2) decided they needed a more experienced kicker as they compete in a tough competition NFC North, with each team being at least two games over .500.

“Brayden is a very talented young kicker,” Gutekunst said. “But he is young. He's going through some things for the first time. I think where our football team is right now, we know how important these games are.

“I thought it was important that we had the opportunity to sign an experienced kicker who has been through some of these issues and the pressures that our team will be under over the next few weeks. I thought it was important that we get one. And in fact, Brandon was the only one out there.”

McManus, a Philadelphia native who played college football at Temple, spent his first nine years with Denver and was with the Broncos when they won the Super Bowl during the 2015 season. He played for Jacksonville in 2023.

He has made 81.4% of his career field goal attempts. Carlson made 81.8% of his field goals last year and Narveson had made 70.6% of his field goals this year.

McManus' value lies in his reliability from 50 yards.

He has made just 54.9% of his attempts from more than 50 yards in his career (45 of 82), but has been accurate on 90.8% of his other attempts (208 of 229). He also made 97.2% of his extra point attempts (312 of 321).

Narveson missed five field goal attempts this season without attempting one from more than 49 yards. Carlson was just 4 of 8 from 40-49 yards last season and missed five extra point attempts.

“He’s an experienced guy and we definitely have confidence in him,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “If we hadn’t done it, of course we wouldn’t have done it.”

NOTES: WR Dontayvion Wicks practiced on a limited basis Wednesday after a shoulder injury kept him off the Packers roster. 34-13 win about the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. … The Packers signed WR Malik Knowles to the practice squad.

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AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.

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