The sound echoed across Arrowhead Stadium in the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 14 clash with the Houston Texans. Harrison Butker’s 43-yard attempt clanged off the right upright, and the stadium groaned in unison. Three points vanished in another lost game, creating the Chiefs’ first losing record since head coach Andy Reid took over. This could mean bad news for Butker’s future in Kansas City.

Butker sits tied for the NFL’s most missed kicks this season. Eight total, four field goals, four extra points. The only two other kickers sharing the dubious record are Joshua Karty from the Los Angeles Rams and Blake Grupe from the Indianapolis Colts, both sitting outside on the practice squad, looking in.

What stings the most is that his performance doesn’t justify his salary. Harrison Butker is the highest-paid kicker in the league, averaging $6.4 million a year after signing a $25.6 million, four-year extension in 2024. But through Week 14, he has just been able to convert 84.6% of his field goal attempts. For a star who entered 2025 as one of the game’s most reliable specialists, this collapse feels sudden.

Back in 2023, Butker was perfect on extra points and only missed two field goals through the regular season. He followed that up last season with a slightly diminished performance. He missed two extra points and four field goals. Both years, his postseason accuracy was 100% across the board. But this year, the misses have just piled up at critical moments.

His attempts from 40+ and 50+ yards were shaky early in the season. Then came the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5. Butker’s kickoff out of bounds gifted the Jaguars a prime field position for a game-winning drive, and the Chiefs lost by three points. And now, every miss compounds faster with the team sitting at 6-7 and fighting for playoff survival. Head coach Andy Reid hasn’t panicked publicly yet.

“Like any golfer, sometimes you’re hitting it good and other times you’re off,” he told reporters back in October. “But you work through it and you keep swinging, man, and he’ll do that. He’s a talented kid, mentally tough. I’m not really worried about him.”

But with the high stakes of December football, off days aren’t a luxury the Chiefs can afford right now. Could Andy Reid change his mind if the misses continue?

Time to find Harrison Butker’s replacement?

Andy Reid has seen this movie played out just last season. Justin Tucker had been the stalwart kicker the Baltimore Ravens could always depend on. But he imploded last season. 8 missed field goals. These were career-worst numbers, and he became suddenly unreliable. When his off-field issues caught up to him on top of this, Tucker’s deadline came fast. With Butker’s performance declining in his 9th season, could he be going the same way?

That’s a question the Chiefs will have to face next offseason. The contract they handed him in August 2024 complicated everything financially. Butker is inked in until 2028, with a potential out in 2027.

Moreover, the 2026 draft class has some capable options like Trey Smack (Florida) and Dominic Zvada (Michigan). Kickers rarely demand high picks, but the Chiefs can’t afford mediocrity at any position. Not when franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ prime years are burning away. The Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers are surging past them in the division standings.

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Cutting Butker outright would create salary cap chaos. But drafting competition might send the message that nothing’s guaranteed anymore. Butker hasn’t faced actual pressure since winning the job in 2017, and a little competition could be what he needs right now, but nothing is guaranteed.

Kansas City has built its dynasty on ruthless roster management. They’ve never clung to fading production when the present demands change. Harrison Butker has earned a degree of patience through his track record, but December losses at 6-7 carry different weight than September hiccups. Every point matters exponentially now.

The clock’s ticking. Butker either finds his old form fast, or Kansas City might start planning life without him. In January football, missed kicks end seasons faster than blown coverages or dropped passes. The Chiefs can’t afford another upright clang with their playoff chances at a crucial 15%.