The Kansas City Chiefs had to be paying close attention this week when the Pittsburgh Steelers helped set the market at kicker. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Chris Boswell was re-signed on a deal worth $28 million, spanning four seasons and clearly helping reset the market at the position when it comes to the league's elite kicking options. Kansas City has to note this and consider whether or not Butker's future remains in KC long term.
Butker has historically been incredibly reliable, but has shown a few concerning tendencies over the past two seasons. Early in the 2025 season, the veteran missed a trio of PATs and field goal opportunities, leaving room to wonder whether or not the scorer was losing confidence. While things turned around in the second half of the year, there are still valid concerns about whether Butker will continue to be reliable at an elite level of years past.
Based on his accomplishments and name recognition, however, there is zero doubt that Butker's camp will want a deal matching or surpassing what Boswell just received. This should give KC a bit of pause when it comes to the current contract and wonder whether or not it could be time to turn the page.
While Butker will remain with the team for the 2026 season, there could be reason to turn the page if any of last season's struggles resurface. Kansas City has a 2027 out in Butker's contract that would allow them to cut the veteran with only $2.8 million in dead space, according to Spotrac.
Chiefs must carefully consider Harrison Butker's future after latest kicker signing
This is a nuclear option that makes sense only if the veteran's struggles worsen. Kansas City has to understand the market at the position and begin to consider if they want to pay Butker at this level in the future. We've seen the franchise make it clear they are unwilling to pay top-dollar in the secondary or at a handful of other positions they view as areas that can be restocked with youth and cheap veteran deals.
It will be interesting to watch how the team navigates this position, as Butker has appeared human around the same time that the kicker market has taken a sharp uptick. The KC veteran has been an important piece of the franchise and one of the league's most reliable offensive weapons for the last half-decade.
Still, it is a position that can quickly go sideways, and Butker has already shown signs of this being a possibility. All adding up to the kicker's future being in question and leaving reason to debate what the best path forward might be for the Chiefs.
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