Chiefs Keep Butker Despite Misses as Reid Faces Fan Backlash

WHO:

Pro Football Network - NFL fans criticized Chiefs head coach Andy Reid for keeping Harrison Butker as the team’s kicker despite his struggles and Justin Tucker’s presence.

Fox News - Reid confirmed Butker would start over Tucker against the Atlanta Falcons.

ESPN - Reid, Butker, Tucker, and Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub discussed the team’s kicking decision.

ESPN - Butker is a 10-year veteran; Tucker is 37 and had not played in the NFL since 2024.

WHAT:

ESPN - Reid said, “I'm going to stick with Butker,” and said the team would take the situation “week by week.”

Fox News - Butker had missed seven field goals, the league’s highest total, while Tucker was waiting as an alternative.

ESPN - Butker missed a 51-yard field goal in a 35-12 Chiefs win over the Jets; Chiefs fans booed him after the miss.

ESPN - Since the start of the previous season, Butker had missed 17 kicks: 12 field goals and five extra-point attempts, the most misses by any kicker over that span.

ESPN - Butker said, “I feel confident, I'm excited for the kicks and I've just got to do better,” adding that teammates supported him and he needed to “make them go in.”

ESPN - Butker was part of Chiefs teams that won three Super Bowls in a five-year span.

ESPN - The Chiefs signed Tucker to their practice squad. Reid said Butker received most of the kicking practice reps; Toub said the team would continue coaching him and would not “pull the plug.”

Fox News - Adam Vinatieri commented on the Butker-Tucker competition, warning that the Chiefs’ margin for error shrinks in the playoffs.

WHERE:

ESPN - The Chiefs are based in Kansas City, Missouri; their upcoming road game is against the Atlanta Falcons.

WHY:

ESPN - Reid said Butker had performed well for the Chiefs over time and deserved an opportunity to work through his “peaks-and-valleys” struggles.

ESPN - Toub said the team was working to correct Butker’s technique by creating difficult, game-like kicks and practicing situations where he had trouble.

HOW:

ESPN - Tucker served a 10-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal-conduct policy. The Baltimore Banner reported that 16 massage therapists at eight Baltimore-area spas and wellness centers accused him of sexual misconduct; the alleged conduct reportedly occurred between 2012 and 2016.

ESPN - The Baltimore Ravens released Tucker; the NFL later suspended him, and he had a tryout with the New Orleans Saints after becoming eligible for reinstatement.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid will start struggling kicker Harrison Butker over Justin Tucker against Atlanta. Butker has missed seven field goals, but Reid says he deserves time to improve. Kansas City signed Tucker to its practice squad, while coaches continue working with Butker.