Through 11 weeks, a couple of things are pretty obvious. First, Harrison Butker has seen a bit decline in his performance. And second, Donald Trump is not a fan of the NFL’s new dynamic kickoff rule. We’ll discuss the latter first. Trump blasted the new rule on Truth Social, saying it “TAKES THE PAGEANTRY AND GLAMOUR AWAY FROM THE GAME.”

Then, back in September, he called it “sissy football, and later labeled it “terrible” on The Pat McAfee Show. And now, the Kansas City Chiefs‘ special teams coordinator, Dave Toub, has fired back, pushing back against Trump’s take on the rule.

“He doesn’t even know what he’s looking at,” Toub bluntly said. “He has no idea what’s going on with the kickoff rule. So, I’m gonna take that for what it’s worth. And I hope he hears it.”

The coach’s comments came just a week after Trump called out the new kickoff rule and called it terrible.

“I hate the kickoff in football. I think it’s so terrible, I think it’s so demeaning,” Trump said on November 11 on the show. “I think it hurts the game and hurts the pageantry. I’ve told that to Roger Goodell. And I don’t think it’s any safer. I mean you still have guys crashing into each other.”

The NFL rolled out the dynamic kickoff in 2024 after testing it in the XFL’s 2020 and 2023 seasons. The whole point was pretty simple: bring kick returns back to life while cutting down on those dangerous, full-speed collisions from the old setup. More action, fewer injuries, and the balance the league was trying to strike. However, Trump had other thoughts on the dynamic rule.

“The ball is in the air and nobody is moving. It’s supposed to be when the ball is in the air, when the ball is played you’re supposed to be moving,” he added. “The pageantry of the game is so badly hurt. The NFL, they do what they want to do. I don’t think they’ll change. I hope college football doesn’t change, because the power of the kickoff was so beautiful.”

But despite Trump’s criticism, the league says the numbers tell a different story. According to the NFL, the new rule has actually been safer so far than the old kickoff format, and the return rate has jumped from a historic low of 21.8% in 2023 to 32.8% in 2024. But with the Chiefs dealing with real kicking issues this season, Toub’s clapback at Trump ended up taking an unexpected turn, straight toward Harrison Butker.

Fans decide Harrison Butker’s fate after Dave Toub’s comments

Dave Toub’s jab at Trump instantly sent fans into overdrive, especially with Kansas City’s kicking issues still fresh. That’s why some people jumped straight into speculation mode, tossing around lines like “harrison butker has requested a trade” or “Butker out with a hammy all the sudden.” It wasn’t based on anything concrete.

Instead, it was frustration meeting timing, with fans assuming the comment signaled deeper tension inside the building. After all, Butker has struggled and failed on field goals of 40, 58, and 56 yards this season. And he had missed at least one kick in the Chiefs’ first four games. Meanwhile, others used Toub’s pushback to reframe their view of the Chiefs’ special teams picture.

One fan even wrote, “All of a sudden I don’t want Dave Toub fired and I wonder how him and Butkers relationship is (you can still release Butker btw).” Another pointed out how strangely the whole thing lined up, writing, “Ironically Dave Toub and I both feel the exact same way about Harrison Butker and Donald Trump as it pertains to the new kickoff rules…Weird that they aligned like that.”

And then, of course, came the most Tyreek Hill response imaginable, pure entertainment value. Watching Toub swing at Trump, Hill couldn’t help but drop, “F***ing animal I love it,” which pretty much summed up how players and a chunk of fans felt about a coach speaking that bluntly. In the end, the whole moment became less about Trump’s critique and more about how Chiefs fans interpreted Toub’s tone. And what it might mean for Harrison Butker moving forward.