Doug Pederson confirms Brandon McManus' release from Jaguars was not due to alleged incident

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson is setting the record straight on why kicker Brandon McManus is no longer on the team. While speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Pederson confirmed the Jaguars didn’t re-sign McManus not because of his alleged lawsuit against him.

“I think there’s a couple of reasons, one (is) performance. That’s obviously in this business whether it’s a coach or a player it’s performance-driven,” Pederson said. “Then you start talking about contracts and the amount of contracts and the number of the dollars and cents go into it a little bit (and) the age of the player. There’s a lot of things that can factor into and the fact that it’s a key position, it’s critical, it’s valuable because it gives us as a team points on the board or not.

“If we have an opportunity to draft somebody looking forward, then we take advantage of that. I think there’s several factors and not just in Brandon’s case, I think that’s the same way with any position that we look at.”

McManus is accused of sexually assaulting two women during a flight the Jaguars’ flight to London last year. The women allege that McManus rubbed himself against them and grinding against them.

“These are absolutely fictitious and demonstrably false allegations made as part of a campaign to defame and disparage a talented and well-respected NFL player,” McManus’ attorney, Brett R. Gallaway, said in a statement Monday night, per ESPN. “We intend to aggressively defend Brandon’s rights and integrity and clear his name by showing what these claims truly are — an extortion attempt.”

Brandon McManus joined Jaguars after winning Super Bowl with Broncos

McManus, who is currently with the Washington Commanders, signed a one-year contract with the Jaguars in May of last year. In 17 games, the 32-year-old made 30 of his 37 field goal attempts and 25 of his 27 extra points. McManus came to Jacksonville after spending nine seasons with the Denver Broncos. He was part of the Broncos team that won the Super Bowl during the 2016 season. The Broncos released McManus in May of last year.

“Brandon has been a key player and presence with the Broncos for nearly a decade, making outstanding contributions to our team and community,” Broncos general manager George Paton said at the time, per NFL.com. “Developing into one of the NFL’s most productive kickers, Brandon made so many clutch kicks for this franchise over the years as a Super Bowl champion and team captain. He will always hold a special place in Denver Broncos history. We thank Brandon for all he did for the Broncos, and we wish him and his family the very best in the future.”