When Matt Prater returns from his four-game suspension on Oct. 6, he won't be doing it with the Broncos. That's because Denver has decided to release the veteran kicker, the team announced on Friday.
"Parting ways with Matt Prater -- the longest-tenured player on our roster -- was a very difficult football decision," general manager John Elway said in a statement. "On behalf of our entire organization, I want to thank Matt for his seven seasons with the Broncos and wish him well going forward."
Prater's reaction to being released?
"I'm a little surprised," Prater told the Denver Post. "The Broncos look like they're going to do some great things this year. It's too bad I won't be a part of it. I'm just going to concentrate on keeping myself in shape and hopefully I'll be kicking for someone this year."
Prater was suspended in August and he handled his suspension a little differently than most NFL players. Instead of waiting for the NFL to announce his suspension, Prater and his lawyer came out and said that the kicker would have to sit out four weeks for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy.
"I've made some mistakes," Prater said at the time. "I'm accepting full responsibility. I'll learn from it and come back a better person. I want to apologize to my teammates, my coaches, the Broncos' organization and the fans."
Prater's attorney, Harvey Steinberg, says that Prater was suspended for drinking a few beers at home during the offseason.
"[Matt] feels terribly for his teammates. It's cost him personally, both professionally and financially," Steinberg said. "I wonder if we shouldn't take a second look at the policy when only a couple beers were consumed at home while he was on vacation. Having said that, the NFL under the constraints of the policy couldn't have treated us better."
Prater has been in the NFL's alcohol program since August 2011, when he was arrested and charged with DUI. The 2011 DUI was Prater's second in three years, according to USA Today. Prater also got a DUI in Orlando in 2008.
Despite his problems off the field, Prater shouldn't be out of work long.
The Broncos kicker scored 150 points in 2013, second only to Sebastian Janikowski's 158 points. Those 150 points include a 64-yard field goal in Week 13 that set the NFL record for longest field goal.
Prater led the NFL in field goal percentage last season by hitting 96.2 percent of his kicks. No other NFL kicker hit over 94.5 percent.
Teams that could be in the market for a kicker include the Lions and Saints. Detroit has already cut one kicker this season, in Nate Freese, and it's not clear how comfortable the team is with new kicker Alex Henery.
As for the Saints, they actually cut kicker Shayne Graham in late August before re-signing him on Sept. 2. Other teams that might take a look at Prater are the Chiefs and Browns, who have both seen their kickers struggle this season.
The Broncos will move forward with Brandon McManus, who's 3 for 3 on field goal attempts this season and has nailed all eight of his extra point attempts.
