Harrison Butker has established himself as the Kansas City Chiefs kicker to beat, with over 35 successful long-range kicks in his career, surpassing Nick Lowery’s franchise record of 50+ yard kicks with 20 in his Chiefs career. Butker’s 62-yard kick is the longest in franchise history. However, his signature long-range kicks failed him in the final moments before halftime in Week 9 against the New York Jets.
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Patrick Mahomes led a quick drive that left only 7 seconds on the clock in the second quarter, giving Butker the opportunity to kick that 56-yard attempt. Butker missed the kick to the right. However, the Jets committed an offsides penalty, meaning Harrison Butker could attempt another kick from 51 yards out. Butker made contact with the ball, but it went wide to the right again. This was the final straw for the Arrowhead faithful as they watched their best serious threat kicker miss two 50+ yard attempts within the space of a minute.
“A 51-yard attempt and the last play of the half. Butker’s kick… looks like the same one,” said Jim Nantz on CBS, as the Arrowhead crowd starts booing Butker loudly [via NFL on CBS on X]. “Again, wide right, and the crowd’s letting him have it.”
The crowd’s reaction to Butker’s miss received national attention as NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo reported,
“Harrison Butker was booed off the field by Chiefs fans after a miss from 56 and again from 51 after a Jets offside penalty gave him another shot.”
Kansas City was set to go into the locker room with a 17-12 lead, but instead they were left with a 14-12 scoreline. Missing opportunities against an underdog team created unnecessary pressure.
It was a strange sight to see Butker walking off the field to a chorus of boos. Butker has been a hero in the postseason, having kicked crucial kicks in three Super Bowl wins. However, the NFL moves at pace, and failing to score in regular scoring drives removed the positive sentiment.
The boos at halftime were a reflection of frustration with Butker’s performance over the past month. In Week 7, he only made one of his three attempts in a 20-3 loss against Seattle. A week later, he missed a 54-yard kick to the right with 2:36 left on the clock in Denver, allowing the Broncos to win 28-24.
His constant mistakes meant Andy Reid’s approach has changed. Reid has defended Butker publicly many times over the years, but after the loss in Seattle, his tone became more assertive. Speaking with reporters, Reid delivered a clear warning: “Listen, he’s been one of the most consistent kickers in football. He’s off a bit. So, we’ve got to fix that.”
Harrison Butker has been open about his inconsistencies in recent interviews.
“Warm-up wasn’t great. It’s just something that you have to roll with and try to fix it in the game and do the best that you can,” Butker said.
Butker signed a four-year contract worth $25.6 million in August 2024, meaning he is earning over $6 million a year. However, Butker has fallen below a 70% success rate this season, which led the Chiefs to sign Justin Tucker to their practice squad.