The Seattle Seahawks absolutely *smoked* the Kansas City Chiefs 20-3 last week, but get this: the Chiefs are still rolling with Harrison Butker as their kicker for Sunday’s road game against the Denver Broncos, despite him missing two field goals in that very game! Coach Andy Reid said Butker will “probably” keep his job in Week 8, and special teams coordinator Dave Toub went even harder, flat out affirming Butker is “the man for the job.” Are they serious?
Butker’s Baffling Blunders Continue
Look, Butker’s numbers this season are a disaster. He is a dismal 11-for-16 on field goal attempts, which clocks in at a cringe-worthy 68.8% conversion rate. That’s his worst percentage by far in what has otherwise been a stellar career. The costly misses piled up over the first six games, then became an outright nightmare in Week 7 against *our* Seahawks. Those misses were clearly the last straw for the Chiefs, who decided they needed outside help. They brought in three candidates this past week, and they ended up signing free agent Justin Tucker to their practice squad. But get this: Tucker isn’t even handling the kicking duties against the Broncos! Toub’s reasoning? “Butker is our kicker. We’re trying to improve Butker. We’re trying to get Butker right. That’s what this whole thing is about.” You gotta be kidding me.
Justin Tucker: Practice Squad Star?
So, they sign an eight-time All-Pro, one of the greatest kickers *ever*, but he is riding the pine on the practice squad? What is going on? Toub mentioned that Butker hit 10-for-10 on his field goal attempts at Wednesday’s practice, even with 28-mph wind gusts in Kansas City. But the plan for Tucker goes way beyond just a backup option. The Chiefs are hoping Tucker can actually *help* Butker rediscover his old accuracy, acting as a mentor. Tucker himself had a down year in his final season with the Baltimore Ravens, missing a career-high eight of his 30 attempts, and he sat out all of 2025 serving a 10-game suspension for alleged inappropriate behaviors during massage sessions. But he’s back, and the word around the league was he was hitting the ball great. Toub saw it firsthand, constructing a wild 30-kick tryout for Tucker that included 10 extra points, seven field goals over 50 yards, and even a 60-yarder. Tucker went a perfect 30-for-30, and get this, 60% of his conversions landed inside a six-foot cylinder in the middle of the uprights. Toub was blown away, saying Tucker was “off-the-charts good” and that someone struggling like Butker couldn’t show that kind of accuracy. So, they saw a kicking god, and put him on the practice squad.
The Chiefs roll into Denver this weekend still with Butker leading the charge, hoping this bizarre mentorship situation actually turns things around. Will Toub’s “get Butker right” plan actually work, or is the eight-time All-Pro just biding his time on the practice squad, waiting for his shot to prove what everyone already knows he can do? This is going to be a wild ride.
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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