Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker misses twice but keeps coaches' backing
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker missed a field goal and a PAT in a 22-6 win over the Chargers.
His 76.9% field-goal rate is a career low, testing Kansas City's patience.
Background
Harrison Butker is the Kansas City Chiefs' kicker, a 31-year-old drafted in the seventh round in 2017 who has been with the team through its recent championship run. He is off to the worst field-goal start of his career — 10-for-13 (76.9%) through five games — after left-knee surgery during the 2024 season cost him four games and he spent the following offseason rebuilding his technique. The Chiefs are 5-0, so the misses have not yet cost them a game, but his $6.4 million-per-year pay has made his slump a talking point.
How it unfolded
- Oct 18, 2026Butker made 3 of 4 field goals (30, 44, 50 yards) and 1 of 2 extra points in the Chiefs' 22-6 win over the Chargers, missing from 52 yards early in the fourth quarter.
- Oct 19, 2026Head coach Andy Reid said he still trusts Butker, and a commentary piece argued the Chiefs have a Butker problem given his 76.9% rate and $6.4 million salary.
- Oct 22, 2026Special teams coordinator Dave Toub said Butker went 10-for-10 in Wednesday practice tests, and team leaders said they remain confident in him.
- Oct 23, 2026A Week 7 outlook ranked Butker 16th among kickers with a 7.3-point projection for the Chiefs' game at Seattle.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Andy Reid said he has trust in Butker and that "he'll fix whatever the problem is," while Dave Toub said Butker looked "totally fine" and hit 10-for-10 in practice.
- Analysts
- An SI/On SI commentary argued the Chiefs are paying Butker $6.4 million per year "to provide negative value" and are denying it.