Chiefs' Andy Reid defers on Harrison Butker's future after another miss and Arrowhead boos
Andy Reid says he has not decided Harrison Butker's future after the Chiefs kicker's NFL-high seventh miss drew boos in a 35-12 win over the Jets.
The Kansas City Chiefs won comfortably on Sunday, but the kicking question is louder than ever. After the 35-12 win over the New York Jets, coach Andy Reid declined to commit either way on Harrison Butker, saying he would review the situation during the week. "I'm not making any decisions right now," Reid said, according to ESPN.
The trigger was a 51-yard attempt just before halftime that drifted wide right. ESPN's Nate Taylor reports that it was Butker's seventh missed field goal of the season, the most in the league. Since the start of last season he has missed 17 kicks, 12 field goals and five extra points, more than any other kicker over that span. For the first time in his career, Arrowhead Stadium booed him. Butker did go 5-for-5 on extra points, and he told reporters he is healthy and has the leg strength, and that the problem is simply making the kicks.
The alternative is already in the building. Two weeks ago Kansas City signed Justin Tucker, the 37-year-old five-time All-Pro who has not played since 2024, to the practice squad. Tucker served a 10-game suspension last season under the league's personal conduct policy after a report by The Baltimore Banner detailed sexual misconduct allegations from massage therapists. At the time of that signing, special teams coordinator Dave Toub said firmly that Butker remained the kicker and that the aim was to get him right. Reid's answer on Sunday was noticeably less definite. Patrick Mahomes stood up for the 10-year veteran, a fixture of three Super Bowl title teams, and said his confidence in Butker had not changed.
What changes now is that a decision Kansas City had put off has a real deadline. Every practice this week will be read as a tryout, and whether Tucker is elevated for Sunday will say more than anything Reid tells reporters.
What it means for Atlanta
The Chiefs are 6-2 and steadied themselves against the Jets after back-to-back road losses at Seattle (20-3) and Denver (28-24). They are 4-0 at home but 2-2 away, and next Sunday's trip to the Atlanta Falcons on CBS is another road date. Two of their wins this season, 33-30 over Indianapolis and 30-27 at Las Vegas, were settled by three points. That is the margin where a kicker's reliability decides games.
Kansas City is favored on this site's board, which tracks 11 venues. Novig has the Chiefs at -174 on the moneyline and Atlanta at +170. On the spread, Novig lists Kansas City -3.5 at +113. The best Chiefs spread price anywhere is a half-point shorter, Pinnacle's -3 at -117. For Atlanta, Novig has +3.5 at -122, and BetRivers has the best price at the same number, -114. The total is 44.5 at Novig, -108 on both sides, while FanDuel hangs 45.5 with the under at -110. Sportsbook hold runs from roughly 3.1% to 5.0% across the markets, so the venues sit close together. The one visible gap is the half-point between 3 and 3.5, and that key number is exactly where a missed field goal would decide things.
With a line that tight, the choice between Butker and Tucker could be one of the most consequential moves Kansas City makes this week.