JUST IN: Former Vikings kicker signed by the Packers to increase competition at the position

The addition of veteran running back Aaron Jones to the Vikings strengthens the team. His experience could help a young quarterback in a potentially successful scheme.

GREEN BAY Following a rookie’s uneven performance this past season, the Green Bay Packers looked to a former division opponent to help increase competition at kicker.

According to Brett Tessler, Greg Joseph’s agent, the former Vikings kicker was signed by the Packers to a one-year contract on Tuesday.

Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst is not afraid about this rising player’s next deal.

Joseph, who finished the previous season with the Vikings with 24 of 30 field goals and 36 of 38 extra-point tries, will face competition from current kicker Anders Carlson and former University of Georgia kicker Jack Podlesny, who the organization signed to a futures agreement.

As a rookie sixth-round pick last season, Carlson hit 27 of 33 field goals and 34 of 39 extra points. However, he missed a critical 41-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter of the team’s season-ending NFC divisional playoff loss to San Francisco.

Could this strategy, which was so effective for the offense, also be used to the defense for the Packers?
The 29-year-old Joseph played 51 regular-season games for the Vikings, making 83 of 101 field goals attempts during his three seasons with the team. Before playing in two games for the Tennessee Titans in 2019, he made his professional debut with Cleveland in 2018. In his first season, he hit 17 of 20 shots.