Harrison Butker absolutely launched a 69-yard field goal Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a boot so epic it *technically* broke the NFL’s longest kick record. You heard that right, 69 yards! But here’s the gut punch: that monstrous kick won’t officially make it into the record books. It was a preseason game, and for some reason, the NFL decided those kicks, no matter how legendary, don’t count for official records. The NFL’s standing record, a still-amazing 68 yards set by Cam Little last season, stays put. What a bummer!
A Cannon for a Leg, A Record That Won’t Stick
Let’s talk about the kick itself, because wow. This wasn’t some fluky ricochet; Butker absolutely *smashed* it. The ball didn’t just barely scrape over, either; it easily cleared the crossbar, sailing with so much power it actually hit the net behind the field goal posts. Honestly, that thing probably had the distance for 75 yards or even further. That’s just an insane display of leg strength, pure power that should be celebrated. To hit that kind of distance, with that kind of ease, it’s something else. It’s wildly impressive, no matter what the official rulebook says.
From Defense to Deep Kick: A Glimpse of Greatness
This monster kick didn’t come out of nowhere; it was thanks to a clutch defensive stand by the Chiefs late in the first half. With less than 10 seconds left in the second quarter, the Buccaneers were in striking distance, facing a fourth-and-5 from Kansas City’s 49-yard line. They rolled the dice and went for it, but Jake Browning’s pass fell incomplete, giving Kansas City possession with a sliver of time: three seconds on the clock. That’s when head coach Andy Reid made the brave call, sending Butker out for the long-shot attempt. And boy, did Butker deliver! It wasn’t a perfect night for him overall; he also hit a 58-yarder and a 45-yarder, but he did miss a 43-yard kick in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs ended up losing a nail-biter, 16-15, but Butker definitely walked off that field with some serious bragging rights.
When you dive into the archives, this kick becomes even more legendary, unofficially. His 69-yarder is actually tied for the second-longest field goal ever made in *any* American football game since the sport’s inception in 1869. Think about that: 157 years of football, and only three kickers have ever connected on a field goal of at least 69 yards. There’s Cam Little with a 70-yard bomb in the 2025 preseason, then Butker’s absolute missile, and an Abilene Christian kicker, “Ov…”. That’s an exclusive club.
So, yeah, the official record book won’t have his name next to “longest field goal,” and that stings. But Butker threw down a serious marker. He showed everyone in the league that he has a cannon for a leg and is absolutely capable of hitting those game-changing bombs. We all know he can do it, and that’s the real takeaway. What will he do when it *truly* counts? I can’t wait to see.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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