The Kansas City Chiefs’ season is officially on life support as they suffered a 20-10 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday night. The loss made Kansas City fall to 10th in the AFC standings and fans will soon start to wonder what kept them out of the postseason for the first time since 2014.
While some fans may blame the offensive line or the roster construction of a team that doesn’t seem to do anything at an elite level, the most obvious scapegoat after Sunday night is kicker Harrison Butker.
Butker has gone belly up for the Chiefs this season and missed a 43-yard field goal that altered the course of Sunday’s game. In addition, Butker’s misses have come at unfortunate moments that could have the Chiefs booking flights to Cancun and have them wondering about Butker’s future in Kansas City.
Chiefs Facing Tough Harrison Butker Decision After Loss to Texans
While the Chiefs aren’t officially out of the playoff race, you could argue the reason they are chasing the final spot is because of Burker’s shaky season. Butker entered Sunday night making 21-of-24 (87.5%) field goals and 28-of-32 (87.5%) extra points but Sunday’s game was dumped on its head when he missed a 43-yard kick late in the second quarter.
The kick sent Kansas City into the locker room down 10-0 at halftime and while Butker later tied the game on a 36-yard field goal in the third quarter, it raised the blood pressure of Chiefs fans as it barely snuck inside the left upright. The miss also hovered over the game as Kansas City could have been playing with a 13-10 lead late but instead, the Texans were able to stick with their gameplan and break the tie with a five-yard touchdown run by Dare Ogunbowale with 6:56 to play.
Even the best kickers miss kicks from time to time, but the elite ones don’t miss when the team needs it the most. For Butker, his fingerprints are all over this season, missing at least one kick in each of the first four games and five of the first six.
While the Chiefs slow start to the season wasn’t directly on Butker, it’s interesting to think what would have happened if he didn’t miss a 58-yard field goal against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2 or didn’t send a kickoff out of bounds late in a Week 5 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the Chiefs now with their backs against the wall, it could have Kansas City thinking about a change late in the year but that becomes complicated with the four-year, $25.6 million contract extension he signed before last season.
Butker hasn’t been listed with an injury this season but he did undergo surgery for a meniscus trim last season. While there’s no correlation between that and his struggles, the issues have become apparent in recent weeks and the Chiefs could find some reason to stash him on injured reserve and bring in a replacement in the coming weeks (although the well is dry at this point of the year).
Even beyond this year, Butker’s future is a question. According to Over The Cap, the Chiefs would eat $10 million in dead money and a $2.7 million cap penalty if they decide to cut him by June 1, 2026. But Kansas City may also want to see how he responds over the offseason. If Butker lost a training camp competition, the Chiefs could get out of the contract with $7.2 million in dead money and save $100,000 against the salary cap, but that may not be worth it over hoping he can return to his elite form.
Whatever the Chiefs decide, Butker’s performance has had a massive impact on what is becoming a lost season. While it may have cost Kansas City a playoff spot, it could also cost Butker a roster spot and have a different kicker for the Chiefs as soon as next season.