$6.4 million. That’s how much the Chiefs pay Harrison Butker each year to make his moments on the field count. And when you have the league’s fourth-highest-paid kicker on your roster, you’d expect him to make his kicks, right? But in the curious case of Harrison Butker, that has become a problem, one even Andy Reid can’t ignore after the Chiefs’ first loss of the season.
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When the Chiefs arrived in Seattle, they were unbeaten. By the time they left, they had been handed a humbling first defeat. And if that wasn’t enough, the kicker they had come to rely on looked worse than ever. Unsurprisingly, calls to replace him came quickly, but Reid isn’t budging.
“Per the NFL transaction report, no kicker tryouts Tuesday for the #Chiefs. #ChiefsKingdom,” Rob Collins posted on X.
The decision is puzzling. Yes, Butker has been a key piece of the Chiefs’ playoff runs, but his form over the last few weeks has been troubling. Against the Seahawks, he went 1-for-3 on field goals, and both misses proved costly.
In the second quarter, with the Chiefs trailing 10-0, Nohl Williams’ interception set Kansas City up deep in Seahawks territory. With seconds left in the half, Butker had a chance to make it a one-score game, but his 58-yard attempt came up short.
He made some amends with a 50-yarder in the third quarter, but it didn’t last. With the Chiefs trailing 13-3 in the fourth quarter, Butker had another chance to pull his team back into the game. From 45 yards out, he missed again.
This is the same kicker who made a 69-yard field goal in the preseason. And it wasn’t a one-off, either. Against the Chargers in Week 6, Butker missed a 52-yard attempt with 11:51 left in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs still won, but the cracks had started to show.
At the time, Reid backed his kicker. “I’ve got trust in Harrison,” Reid said. “That’s the best I can tell you. He’ll fix whatever the problem is. He’ll fix it and get it taken care of. He works like crazy at that.”
After the Seahawks game, Reid’s tone didn’t change much, except that he set a clear goal: The team was going to fix the problem. “Listen, he’s been one of the most consistent kickers in football. He’s off a bit. So, we’ve got to fix that,” he said.
Chiefs Kingdom has faith in Reid, but how long can the offense keep covering for Butker’s mistakes? We’ve seen this turn sour before. By December last season, Butker had shown a similar pattern. Since the start of 2024, he had made just 84.3% of his field goals and missed four extra-point attempts.
This season, those numbers have gotten worse. Butker arrived in Seattle 10-for-13 on field goals, a 76.9% success rate and his lowest since 2022. After Week 7, that number fell to 68%, one of the worst in the league.
Those numbers are why calls to replace Butker have grown louder. But is cutting him the answer? Probably not, and his poor form isn’t the only thing making it a tough sell. With the season already underway, parting ways with Butker would come with a cap hit of about $7.3 million. And that may not be the change Chiefs Kingdom wants anyway.
The fix doesn’t have to be as drastic as the Rams’ move after they booted Harrison Mevis following the Bills loss. But bringing in someone to keep Butker on his toes might just work. After all, his attitude after his rough start was concerning. After the Chargers game, Butker said, “Life of a kicker, it either goes in or it doesn’t. Unfortunately, there’s been some kicks that haven’t gone in.”
Gehrig Dieter, who spent five seasons with the Chiefs, pointed to an established name on the free agent market. “Might be time to sign Justin Tucker,” Dieter wrote on X. Tucker is a former All-Pro, which explains why the suggestion caught attention.
For now, though, the Chiefs have decided to stick with Butker, and Reid isn’t the only one who still believes in him.
According to the Kansas City Star, special teams coordinator Dave Toub “stopped by Butker’s locker on his way to the bus to offer some encouragement.”
“I appreciate it,” Butker said of Toub’s faith in him. “He definitely supports me — my 10th season here. I’m very thankful to have been with him for such a long time, and he’s my biggest supporter and pushes me to be my best.”
To his credit, Butker also took responsibility after the Seahawks loss. “I try to take one kick at a time,” Butker told reporters. “I’m blessed every opportunity I get and try to do my best.”
“The 58-yarder, just short,” he said. “Otherwise it was [in the] middle. Obviously, you want to make it, but it was short. And then the 40-yarder at the end, you just got to make it. Just pushed it.”
The Chiefs also have a long history with Butker to lean on. They signed him to a four-year, $25.6 million extension in August 2024 that keeps him in Kansas City through 2028.
Butker’s next big test comes in Week 8, when the Chiefs visit Empower Field at Mile High to face the Broncos.
Denver got off to a slow start this season, but the Broncos have since become the league’s seventh-best scoring defense, allowing 20.1 points per game. With the Chiefs’ receiving corps battling injuries, Kansas City may need Butker to get them over the line.