After Harrison Butker’s disappointing performance in the Week 9 game against the New York Jets, head coach Andy Reid refused to talk about the Kansas City Chiefs kicker in the postgame presser. Reid announced that he wasn’t going to make any decisions right away and would address the kicking struggles as they progress into Week 10. But the decision he made didn’t really sit well with many, including former Chiefs wide receiver Gehrig Dieter.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“First time I’ve ever disagreed with Big Red,” Dieter wrote on X as he reacted to Reid’s decision on Butker.
Well, Reid seemed to believe that Butker was an important piece of the Chiefs’ special teams unit. Hence, he didn’t want to part ways with the kicker.
“As far as the kicking part goes, I’m going to stick with Butker this week,” Reid made his decision clear. “And we’ll go from there.”
Even though the Chiefs dominated against the Jets and secured a 35-12 victory, the Chiefs fans still booed one player – Harrison Butker. Right before halftime in the game on Sunday, Butker had a chance to score a 56-yard field goal. But he kicked the ball a bit too far to the right and missed. Thankfully, the referees ruled it a no-play because of a five-yard penalty on Malik McClain for defensive offside. But even after getting a second chance, Butker missed the 51-yard field goal by kicking the ball to the right.
Including those two misses, Butker missed a total of eight field goals in the last nine weeks. Meanwhile, he has made only 12 field goals this season.
Of course, there’s a good reason why Dieter disagreed with Reid’s decision. Two weeks ago, the Chiefs acquired another kicker – Justin Tucker. The Baltimore Ravens released him back in 2025 after a 13-season run due to allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior. But the Chiefs brought Tucker in.
Tucker has been in the league for about 13 years, excluding the years that he didn’t play. He played 212 games for the Ravens and made 417 field goals in 468 attempts. Needless to say, he could be an asset for the Chiefs in the upcoming games while Butker struggles with his kicks.
Nevertheless, Butker knows that he has to do better. After the disappointing performance on Sunday, he confessed that he tried to do his best on every single kick. But the 50-yarders weren’t his cup of tea this time. But it’s worth noting that he’s able to make it through longer distances. His longest field goal in the regular season went 62 yards, back in 2022. In Super Bowl LVIII, he made a 57-yard field goal against the Niners.
On the other hand, Reid seemed to be thinking about the upcoming game against the Atlanta Falcons.
“We look forward to the challenge of playing Atlanta, a good football team,” Reid said, trying to stay focused on the Week 10 game. “And it wasn’t about a couple weeks ago that they got after the 49ers. So, we know what they’re all about, and it’s important that we study them and then have a good week of practice.”
When a longtime locker-room loyalist like Dieter questions Reid, it certainly speaks a lot about Butker’s slump. With Tucker waiting on the practice squad, Week 10 against the Falcons will likely make or break Kansas City’s deal with Butker.