Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker Reveals Change to Approach
The Kansas City Chiefs are counting on kicker Harrison Butker to make a higher percentage of his field goals this season.
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker announced on Thursday that he is modifying his approach to kickoffs in an effort to improve his field goal percentage. Following a Super Bowl triumph, the Chiefs awarded Butker a four-year, $25.6 million contract extension in 2024. In 2023, Butker reached a career-best 94.3% field goal accuracy, making all 11 attempts and eight extra points in the postseason, which contributed to the Chiefs' victory in Super Bowl LVIII.
However, the changes to the league's kickoff rules in the 2024 regular season led to a decline in Butker's field goal percentage, with a 84% success rate in both 2024 and 2025, his two worst seasons aside from 2023 when he was dealing with an ankle issue. During an interview with reporters, Butker attributed his recent struggles to his experiments with kickoffs, stating that he plans to maintain his foot-to-ball contact on kickoffs similar to his field goal technique to boost his make rate.
He emphasized that field goals are more crucial than kickoffs. With more confidence entering the regular season, Butker, who ranks fourth among the highest-paid kickers in the NFL, should return to his usual form.
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