Sports

Chiefs legend Harrison Butker suddenly finds himself on the hot seat

Arrowhead Addict · Jul 21, 2026 13:00 · 4 min read

Chiefs legend Harrison Butker suddenly finds himself on the hot seat — Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

There is no denying that Harrison Butker will go down as one of, if not the greatest kicker in Kansas City Chiefs history. But could a player who is arguably t

There is no denying that Harrison Butker will go down as one of, if not the greatest, kickers in Kansas City Chiefs history.

But could a player who is arguably the most clutch playoff kicker the NFL has ever seen, who has won multiple Super Bowls off his own right foot, and who has been one of the most reliable Chiefs over the last decade actually be on the hot seat heading into next season?

Absolutely.

For all his success and historic dependability, Butker’s reliability has started to fade over the past two seasons, and the pressure for him to return to form is higher than it has ever been.

The 30-year-old has a career field goal percentage of 88.4%, ranking fourth-best all-time among NFL kickers, but concerningly, his last two seasons have both been well below his usual benchmark.

In 2024, Butker made 84% of his field goal attempts, the second-lowest rate of his career. Last season, Butker’s average increased to 86.8%—an improvement, but a conversion rate that was still only 15th in the league and barely above league average.

But it was extra points where Butker really struggled. He converted just 88.6% of his point-after attempts (31 of 35). It was the lowest rate of his career, significantly below the league average (95.9%) and the second-worst conversion rate in the entire NFL among qualified kickers.

Chiefs fans watched Butker miss a kick in five of the first six games to start last season and watched nine kicks in total fly wide of the goalposts—the most misses he’s had in his career.

In Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Butker booted a late fourth-quarter kickoff out of bounds, giving the Jaguars a crucial field-position advantage on what turned out to be the game-winning drive.

His struggles were clear for everyone to see, and for the first time in his career, it felt like the Chiefs themselves started to lose faith in Butker too.

Watching the games, it felt like the Chiefs were opting not to turn to Butker in situations they normally would. The most notable example came in Week 14 against the Los Angeles Chargers when Kansas City’s season was on the line.

Down by three late with a timeout in hand, the Chiefs had a choice: put the game in the hands of backup QB Gardner Minshew, who had played five snaps all season at that point, or put it on the boot of their $25,000,000 kicker, Butker.

Kansas City picked option A. Instead of setting Butker up for a 50- to 55-yard attempt, they had Minshew throw a 20-yard pass into double coverage that was picked off, ending the game and eliminating the Chiefs from the playoffs.

It was the clearest signal all season that the Chiefs didn’t trust Butker. Normally, relying on him to nail a 55-yarder in a must-win game would be a no-brainer. But last year, it wasn’t. And that could be big a problem going forward.

Butker’s $25M contract makes him the third-highest-paid kicker in the league behind Chris Boswell and Brandon Aubrey, but last season his overall numbers ranked near the bottom third among kickers.

The Chiefs are paying Butker an awful lot of money to make kicks, and last year, he simply didn’t. Kansas City can’t afford to keep doing that for long, especially if they’re hoping to return to the playoffs.

Kicking is a fickle art. Sometimes you’re one of the best kickers in the league until suddenly, you’re not. Maybe what’s happening to Butker is the same thing that happened to Justin Tucker. The former Baltimore Raven is widely regarded as the best kicker to ever smash his boot into a football, but even he saw a drastic decline toward the back end of his career.

In his final three seasons, Tucker’s field goal percentages were 86%, 86.5%, and then a career-low 73.3%—very similar to Butker’s conversion rates over the past two seasons before the sharp decline. Tucker was cut by Baltimore that offseason with three years left on his contract.

Maybe Butker can do what Tucker couldn’t and return to career-best form after a two-year slump. All of Chiefs Kingdom, myself included, will be hoping he can.

The Chiefs are paying Butker an awful lot of money to make kicks, and last year, he simply didn’t. Kansas City needs a reliable Butker if they want to make another serious run at a Super Bowl championship, but if his struggles continue, he might force the Chiefs to find a better, cheaper kicker instead.

HOT SEAT VERDICT: With his declining numbers and huge price tag, Butker's seat this season is, to borrow a saying from Ichiro Suzuki, hotter than two rats fornicating in a wool sock. 8/10.