Paul Bretl | 9/4/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers announced on Thursday that they have signed punter Daniel Whelan to a contract extension.
This deal comes on the heels of the Packers extending long-snapper Matt Orzech to a three-year extension shortly after roster cutdowns took place. Green Bay also signed kicker Brandon McManus earlier this offseason in free agency to a three-year deal.
The current iteration of the Packers’ special teams battery will remain intact for the foreseeable future. This is reportedly a two-year extension for Whelan, who was set to be a restricted free agent during the 2026 offseason.
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“I think organizationally, we’re excited about having those guys where they’re not really worried about the future, to some degree,” special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia said on Thursday. “They’re worried about getting better each particular day, to see if they get better at their craft. So we’re excited about the direction they’re going.”
Whelan was an FCS All-American during his final collegiate season at UC-Davis in 2021. He would go undrafted in 2022, initially signing with the New Orleans Saints, but was released prior to training camp.
Whelan played in the XFL during the spring of 2023 before signing with the Packers and eventually beating out veteran Pat O’Donnell for Green Bay’s punter job.
From the jump, Whelan’s leg strength has been obvious. As a first-year player, he averaged 46.2 yards per punt–the second-highest average in Packers’ history. He was also fourth in hang-time that season among all punters.
In Year 2, Whelan was the first punter in Packers’ history to average 46 or more yards per punt and 40-plus yards per net punt. League-wide in 2024, Whelan had the seventh-lowest return rate and was tied for third in hang-time.
“It’s a credit to him and his work ethic and the way in which he’s improved,” Bisaccia said. “I think that the thing that gets overlooked a little bit is what he’s done in the summer, the work that he’s done in the last few summers. He’s been out there in California. He’s worked with Mike Scifres a lot, and he’s worked with Nick Novak, and he’s been with AJ Cole, and so he’s been around other punters in the league, and kind of seen how they’ve progressed and how they’ve worked, and what it’s supposed to be like.
“I think that he comes back each year, he’s come back really ready to go, and he’s done a lot of work on his own to get to the place that he’s at right now.”
While the booming punts from Whelan will garner the attention, some of his biggest strides have been made in the nuances that come with being a punter at the NFL level.
“I think his understanding of where we are on the field,” Bisaccia said of Whelan’s growth during training camp. “What’s the situation in the game, how’s the returner playing you, what’s your line, will you stay true to your line, what’s the wind. There’s so many things going on that he has to become more aware of as the game is going on. Is he doubled on one side, singled on the other? Is it double-double on both sides? Is it a six-man front?
“It’s on and on and on and then adjusting to a snap that might be a little bit to his right or a little at his knee or a little at his number and again, a lot of things that go on.”
Not to be overlooked, either, is the stability that Whelan has provided as a holder. This includes last summer, learning on the fly and adjusting to several different kickers.
By McManus’ own admission, he is very particular in how he wants the ball held, and that changes depending on the distance and what hash he is on. However, with Whelan as the holder, one would have never known that from the outside looking in, with how seamless the operation was during that initial transition.
Along with the praise for Whelan, Bisaccia also mentioned that continued consistency is still needed from him. But he is certainly viewed as an ascending player, and while the Packers ultimately want him on the field as little as possible–kicking punts, that is–when he’s out there, he’s shown the ability to flip the field and set the defense up in advantageous situations.
“I think he’s capable of being a really good player,” Bisaccia said. “The expectation for him is the standard is the standard and he has set the standard now, so he has to play above that at all times and I think that’s what we’re gonna expect from him.”