Kickers are kind of like referees — it's not usually good news when they're making headlines. And even if we're strictly looking at headlines made on the field, that was the case for Harrison Butker in 2024.
Injuries limited him to 13 games in 2024, and while he was clutch early in the year and perfect in the postseason, he had his fair share of struggles. The Chiefs had to cycle through a couple replacement kickers, and they've now officially decided to drop down to one on the roster.
Wednesday at 3 p.m. CT, when the new league year began, was the deadline to tender restricted free agents, and the Chiefs opted not to retain Spencer Shrader, no matter how cheap he would have been.
Chiefs' Spencer Shrader Becomes Unrestricted Free Agent After Being Refused ERFA Tender
Spencer Shrader was an ERFA, meaning the Chiefs could tender him with a minimum-salary deal and he'd have no choice to play elsewhere. But by electing not to tender Shrader, they have allowed him to become an unrestricted free agent. Considering the low cost of the tender, this sends a clear message that they don't see much of a need for his services.
Shrader was something of a mercenary in 2024, kicking for three teams (the Chiefs, New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts). He was a perfect 5-of-5 on his field goals (3-of-3 for the Chiefs) and 9-of-9 on extra points (6-of-6 for the Chiefs).
The 25-year-old was an undrafted rookie last year, and he should have no issue finding work by the time training camp rolls around.
As for the Chiefs, they obviously have no long-term concerns about Butker's health or reliability. They may bring another kicker in to training camp and keep one on the practice squad during the year, but ultimately that's a "break glass in case of emergency" type situation. The backup kicker spot isn't one they have (or should have) any desire to fill at this point in the offseason.