{"id":41217,"date":"2026-01-08T02:51:58","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T02:51:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41217"},"modified":"2026-01-08T02:51:58","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T02:51:58","slug":"packers-punter-daniel-whelan-downplays-inconceivable-achievement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=41217","title":{"rendered":"Packers Punter Daniel Whelan Downplays Inconceivable Achievement"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

\"Green<\/p>\n

GREEN BAY, Wis. \u2013 Green Bay Packers punter Daniel Whelan did what seemed to be impossible.<\/p>\n

Whelan, dealing with the challenges of punting in Wisconsin, led the NFL in punting.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m curious if he\u2019s one of the first Packer punters to do it. He\u2019s got to be,\u201d long snapper Matt Orzech said.<\/p>\n

He is.<\/p>\n

Pro Football Reference has punting data dating to 1939. Whelan is the first Packers player to lead the NFL, and he did it while rewriting the team record book.<\/p>\n

Moreover, almost every punter on the annual list of league leaders kicks in the south or in a dome. Corey Bojorquez with Buffalo in 2020, Brian Moorman with Buffalo in 2005 and Tom Rouen with Denver in 1999 are the only punting champions from a northern city in the last 35 years.<\/p>\n

Whelan\u2019s 51.7-yard average obliterated the team record set in 2021 by Bojorquez, who averaged 46.5 yards per punt. Moreover, it was the third-best average in NFL history behind Ryan Stonehouse, who averaged 53.10 yards in 2022 and 53.06 yards in 2023 for the Titans.<\/p>\n

\u201cGross [punt average] gets to the Pro Bowl, but net [average] gets you to the Super Bowl,\u201d special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia said.<\/p>\n

Whelan finished fourth in the league with a 43.9-yard net average. That crushed the team record of 41.6 yards set by Justin Vogel in 2017.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been fortunate to be around some really good punters, but he\u2019s a special player,\u201d Bisaccia said.<\/p>\n

To say Whelan took the accomplishment in stride would be as much of an understatement as saying he has a strong leg.<\/p>\n

\"Green<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What did it mean to him?<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing, really,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Really?<\/p>\n

\u201cSeason\u2019s not over,\u201d he said. \u201cGot to finish this week and next week and the week after.\u201d<\/p>\n

How about finishing fourth in net average?<\/p>\n

\u201cNice,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Told that had set the franchise record, he said, \u201cYeah, nice. Good punt team there. Love that. That\u2019s good for the punt team. It\u2019s all them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not really. His supercharged leg had a little something to do with it.<\/p>\n

\"Green<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This season, 31 players had at least 30 punts. Whelan finished first in average by 1.1 yards and finished 1.0 yards behind Baltimore\u2019s Jordan Stout for first in net average. Long punts aren\u2019t very useful if the punter is outkicking the coverage. Whelan finished third in hangtime, according to Pro Football Focus.<\/p>\n

Orzech has been here for every moment of Whelan\u2019s growth. What has he seen along the way?<\/p>\n

\u201cBombs,\u201d he said. \u201cHonestly. From the day he showed up from the UFL, it was immediately obvious that his leg explosion was pretty impressive. I\u2019ve never seen somebody who hits 5.0-plus [hangtime] punts consistently. Even in crazy wind or cold, there\u2019s still going to be a 5.0 on the chart for the day, which is unbelievable. It\u2019s crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whelan obviously is gifted, but it\u2019s the behind-the-scenes work that has made him one of the best in the business. Whelan went from a 46.2-yard average and 39.7-yard net in 2023 to an All-Pro candidate in 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe works extremely hard at it,\u201d Bisaccia said. \u201cWhat I think he does a really good job of, as we get going through a game, is, where is he on the field and what kind of punt does he want to hit? And then talking about Bo (Melton) and we had Zayne (Anderson) and I thought we had some really good cover guys playing on the outside for him, and I thought our punt unit inside has done a good job protecting him and giving him confidence that he can put the ball where he wants.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I still think he\u2019s an ascending player. I still think he\u2019s got room to grow if he keeps working the way he\u2019s been working. Hopefully, this will be a consistency in which he plays with. It\u2019ll be a level that he plays with for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s Whelan\u2019s intention. First, though, he\u2019s got to finish this season strong. And now that he\u2019s set a standard, he needs to meet it \u2013 and exceed it.<\/p>\n

\u201cBombs. Honestly … I\u2019ve never seen somebody who hits 5.0-plus [hangtime] punts consistently. Even in crazy wind or cold, there\u2019s still going to be a 5.0 on the chart for the day, which is unbelievable. It\u2019s crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Long snapper Matt Orzech<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s been quite a path for Whelan, who was born and raised in Ireland before moving to the United States when he was 13. At UC-Davis, he was an FCS All-American during his final two seasons.<\/p>\n

Whelan went undrafted in 2022 and signed with the Saints but didn\u2019t even make it to training camp. He earned his shot with the Packers for training camp in 2023 by being an all-XFL selection for the D.C. Defenders.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m definitely proud of myself,\u201d he said. \u201cObviously, a lot of work went into it, but the work doesn\u2019t stop. Got to beat it next year and so on and so on. Just happy with where we\u2019re at.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whelan ended the regular season with a bang. Kicking in the great indoors of U.S. Bank Stadium last week, his 50.8-yard net average against the Vikings was the second-best by a player with eight-plus punts in a game since 2000 (Johnny Hekker, 52.9 with the Rams in 2016). His eight punts yielded 5 return yards. Not a 5-yard average. Five yards total.<\/p>\n

Whelan had five inside-the-20 punts and zero touchbacks. Among all Packers punters with four punts in a game, his 50.8 net trailed only his 51.6 against Houston last season.<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll have a much bigger challenge on Saturday night at the Bears. Assuming he punts, which he didn\u2019t have to when the teams played at Soldier Field a few weeks ago. The Chicago forecast for Saturday night calls for a low of 24 with snow showers and wind gusts of 25 mph.<\/p>\n

Whelan shrugged his shoulders.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe play at Lambeau,\u201d he said. \u201cThe last time we played in Chicago, it was 40 mph gusts that knocked over the kicking net seven times. The heaters weren\u2019t working, so we had every disadvantage against us. I think we\u2019ll be better this week.\u201d<\/p>\n

The field-flipping Whelan signed a contract extension before the season to tie him to Green Bay through the 2027 season. The $3.1 million average seems like a bargain.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just like winning but, obviously, it\u2019s good to have some recognition behind it, as well, but the main goal\u2019s to win a Super Bowl,\u201d he said. \u201cIf the punt team\u2019s doing well, you\u2019re probably going to win the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n
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