Chiefs Sign Controversial Former Bills Punter
By Joe Summers
The Chiefs made a huge roster move Thursday, as ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the organization signed controversial former Bills punter Matt Araiza.
Considered one of the best college punters of all-time, Araiza was drafted in the sixth round by the Bills but swiftly released following a rape allegation in 2021 stemming from his time at San Diego State.
Araiza was dropped from the lawsuit in December, paving the way for him to pursue a return to the NFL.
Chiefs Roster News: KC Signs Punter Matt Araiza
A big development in KC: Chiefs are signing former Bills punter Matt Araiza, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 22, 2024
Nicknamed the "Punt God" in college, Araiza broke the NCAA single-season punting average record in 2021 with an average of 51.2 yards per punt.
He won the Ray Guy Award that year, recognizing the game's best punter, and was the second unanimous All-American in San Diego State history. The allegations became public during the presesason in August of 2021, and he was subsequently released.
The Chiefs new punter, via @MySportsUpdate: pic.twitter.com/CJnLFVo97S
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 22, 2024
See a statement from his agency below.
We are proud to announce that our client @matt_araiza has signed with the @Chiefs . We are grateful to Brett Veach, coach Reid and the @Chiefs organization for giving Matt this opportunity.
— JL Sports (@JLSports3) February 22, 2024
Matt has been to hell and back in the last 18 months. He has handled himself with grace
This comes at an interesting time for the Chiefs. Just yesterday, I wrote it was likely the team would move on from All-Pro Tommy Townsend due to the large contract he's likely to command in free agency.
The terms of the deal are not yet public, nor has the team released an official statement confirming the transaction. It remains to be seen what this means for Townsend, but it's certainly a step towards letting the two-time Super Bowl champion find a new team in the coming weeks.
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