Once again, the Kansas City Chiefs have grabbed attention, but this time it's not for a thrilling touchdown or a game-changing play. In a surprising move, the focus shifts to the decision to extend kicker Harrison Butker's contract for another four years, totaling $25.6 million. It is the second big-money contract Butker has secured with the Chiefs, and there is nothing wrong with a player securing the bag.
But I would be lying if I said my gut reaction was positive when I saw that notification appear on my phone. Like Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy once said, "You've just got to go with your gut feeling."
Let's lay out the facts, in case you missed it. Butker's contract is the largest ever for a kicker, while the $6.4 million annual value comfortably exceeds the former benchmark by two kickers. I agree that Butker is better than Philadelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliot, but is he better than Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker? The latter point is debatable.
The guaranteed money is an underrated aspect of this contract, with Butker getting $17.8 million in guaranteed money. That means 69.53% of his contract is guaranteed, the second-largest percentage for any kicker's multi-year deal. The Houston Texans guaranteed 69.6% of Ka'imi Fairbairn's deal, barely edging out Butker's new percentage.
Ultimately, any extension or new contract reflects what a team believes a player will become, not just their past performance. The Chiefs obviously have high hopes in Butker, a player they once acquired for pennies on the proverbial dollar. He could retire today and go down as one of the greatest kickers in Chiefs' history. This new deal signals that Kansas City believes Butker will become one of the game's best to ever do it.
I just don't believe he will.
Since joining the Chiefs in 2017, Butker has been a big part of Kansas City's success. His career field goal percentage of 88.1% is praiseworthy, putting him among the elite kickers in the NFL. However, the 2022 season is a concerning blemish on his career that I cannot shake. Butker's field goal percentage plummeted to 78.6%, the lowest since he entered the league. His reliability from beyond 40 yards notably also took a hit.
It was that performance that had me pondering his trade potential ahead of the 2023 season. He proved me wrong, and I have never been happier to be wrong. From a perfect extra-point kicking season to scoring 18 points in Week 17, Butker shot back up in the top kicker conversation. He quickly made people forget about that injury-plagued 2022 season.
But I just cannot shake it.
Was there any urgency to this move? None that I could sense. Butker was under contract for 2024, and a kicker holding out of training camp for contractual reasons just sounds unheard of. Besides, the Chiefs are not exactly lacking prime extension candidates. When I saw the Butker news break, my gut reaction was to wonder how this affected center Creed Humphrey or linebacker Nick Bolton. Those are just two of the players Chiefs general manager Brett Veach is considering extensions for, according to The Athletic's Nate Taylor.
"'They are three really good players and they’re fantastic people,' Veach said of Humphrey, Smith, and Bolton. 'Throughout this camp, hopefully, we’re able to get more than one done. It’s just going to be a systematic approach and exchange of communication. We would want nothing more than for them to be here (long term) and I’m sure they would want nothing more than to be here.'"
When I think of this team's core, I think of those three well before Butker. Maybe that is a shortfall of mine: undervaluing Butker's importance to the team. But if Butker were to leave, I think the team would still be able to succeed without him. The possible holes left by Bolton, Smith, or Humphrey have a greater impact.
For those who are adamant that Butker is on the path to becoming a Hall of Fame kicker, I've already mapped out that journey. I stand by what I said then: that his Canton progress is "not perfect, not terrible, but good." This contract clearly shows the Chiefs' strong belief in Butker's potential, surpassing even the strength of the Independence Avenue Bridge.
Kansas City put its trust in Butker and made a historic investment in him. There are men and women with plenty of experience and knowledge.
But I cannot ignore my gut feeling.
In my first Milham Minutes, there was a quality suggestion for a segment along these lines. With preseason action starting this past week, the position battles will hit a higher gear. But there are always matchups and position groups to watch each week. The debut segment focuses on a position battle that every member of the Chiefs Kingdom needs to be watching, the left tackle spot.
Fans should focus on the performances of a few unproven players rather than the result of the first preseason game. Xavier Worthy will be fun to watch, while Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson battle for that CB2 spot. My attention will be on the first-team offense, namely at left tackle.
The Chiefs have two fairly unproven options to start at left tackle, with rookie second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia having a clear edge over Wanya Morris. The rookie from Brigham Young was widely considered a project player but pushed his way onto the first-team line with a strong camp. Morris' recent injury scare highlights the importance for Kansas City to see a solid performance from their left tackles to address concerns.
Morris was palatable protecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes' blindside last year, but he had some very ugly reps during his opportunities. The Chiefs drafted Morris' competition for a specific reason, and he is currently falling behind.
Suamataia has a chance for a good first impression, while Morris looks to remind fans why head coach Andy Reid turned to him down the stretch. Saturday's matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars is a great opportunity for both players to prove their worth.
My love for sports-related books is well documented here, but even I need a nice break from that genre. Kindle Unlimited's catalog is vast and contains hidden gems amidst a sea of lackluster titles. Thankfully, I picked up a very engaging psychological thriller.
The Teacher by Freida McFadden is filled with unexpected twists and layered characters. The protagonist's journey into the dark secrets of her students and colleagues is gripping, with suspense building steadily. McFadden's writing is sharp, engaging, and perfectly paced, creating a chilling atmosphere that lingers long after the final page. Readers who enjoy psychological thrillers will discover The Teacher to be a compelling and easily digestible book.
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Months after his highly controversial commencement speech, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker is speaking out regarding his "very intentional" words.
“I feel like, seven years in the league, having this platform, I’ve just decided, 'You know what, there’s things that I believe wholeheartedly that I think will make this world a better place, and I’m going to preach that.' And if people don’t agree, they don’t agree, but I’m going to continue to say what I believe to be true and love everyone along the way,” Butker said.
He continued, adding: “I prayed about it, and I thought about it, and I was very intentional with what I said, and I stand behind what I said.”
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The NFL player's 20-minute address included attacks on working women, the LBGTQ+ community and families who utilize surrogacy and in vitro fertilization (IVF), President Joe Biden and the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, the NFL’s Chief Diversity Officer Jonathan Beane said, "Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
Former Kansas City commissioner Justice Horn went further, slamming Butker in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter). "Harrison Butker doesn’t represent Kansas City nor has he ever," he wrote. "Kansas City has always been a place that welcomes, affirms, and embraces our LGBTQ+ community members."
Butker’s teammates also spoke out about his speech. On the May 24 episode of the New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce podcast, Travis Kelce said, “I cherish him as a teammate.”
Mentioning Patrick Mahomes' comments about the speech, Kelce, 34, went on, “I think Pat said it best where he is every bit of a great person and a great teammate.”
“He’s treated friends and family that I’ve introduced to him with nothing but respect and kindness. And that’s how he treats everyone. When it comes down to his views and what he said at [Benedictine's] commencement speech, those are his,” the tight end continued.
“I can’t say I agree with the majority of it or just about any of it outside of just him loving his family and his kids. And I don’t think that I should judge him by his views, especially his religious views, of how to go about life, that’s just not who I am,” he added.
Butker's latest comments about his speech come days after he extended his contract with the Chiefs, becoming the highest-paid kicker in the NFL. On Monday, Aug. 5, he agreed to a four-year, $25.6 million deal, which includes $17.8 million in guaranteed money, per multiple reports.
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The details for the the Kansas City placekicker’s new contract extension are good for both parties.
Earlier this week, it was reported that the Kansas City Chiefs had signed placekicker Harrison Butker to a four-year contract extension worth $25.6 million, including $17.8 million guaranteed.
We now have the details for that contract, which Butker negotiated himself.
According to the salary-cap site Spotrac, Butker’s 2024 compensation includes a $7 million signing bonus and a $50,000 workout bonus on top of his $1.2 million base salary. Since his previous contract (which extended through 2024) carried a prorated cap charge of $729,000 for a contract restructure that opened cap space in 2022, that means his total cap hit for this season is $3.4 million.
Under his previous contract — which has been superceded by this extension — Butker carried a cap hit of $4.8 million on a base salary of $3.9 million, per-game roster bonuses totaling $100,000 and a workout bonus of $50,000.
This gives the team an estimated $15.5 million in total cap space.
Butker’s base salaries for 2024, 2025 ($3.7 million) and 2026 ($5.8 million) were all guaranteed at signing. In both 2027 and 2028 (when he’s 33 years old) he’ll also earn $5.8 million. From 2025 through 2028, his yearly workout bonus will be $100,000.
The team could cut him in 2027, which would save $4.4 million against the cap. But if he continues to be one of the league’s best placekickers, it’s more likely that he’ll again be a candidate for an extension during the 2028 offseason.
This contract was originally reported to make Butker the league’s highest-paid kicker by AAV (average annual value). That might not be exactly true.
While it’s accurate to say that the four-year extension worth $25.6 million gives Butker an AAV of $6.4 million over those four years (which exceeds the $6.0 million AAV that the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jake Elliott and Baltimore Ravens’ Justin Tucker both earn, per Spotrac), it really should be figured as $29.7 million over five years, since the final year of Butker’s previous contract was superceded. That’s $5.9 million AAV, which would rank third in the league — assuming that the figures for Elliott and Tucker were figured the same way. (Hint: they weren’t).
So it’s just a lot easier to figure AAV as the new money divided by the new years of the contract. On that basis, Butker is the league’s highest-paid placekicker.
Trends Reporter, HuffPost
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker is doubling down on the controversial commencement speech he delivered in May, in which he expressed sexist and bigoted views to graduates at Benedictine College.
“If people don’t agree, they don’t agree, but I’m going to continue to say what I believe to be true and love everyone along the way,” he said.
Referring to his commencement speech, Butker said: “I prayed about it, and I thought about it, and I was very intentional with what I said, and I stand behind what I said.”
Butker, who has been outspoken about his Catholic faith, sparked a firestorm of backlash this spring after he delivered his speech at Benedictine.
During his address, he made a reference to LGBTQ+ Pride month as an example of a “deadly sin,” and decried “dangerous gender ideologies” and the “tyranny of diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
He also said he believed the majority of female graduates in the crowd were likely “most excited” about the possibility of one day getting married and having children.
The Chiefs kicker told the graduates that being a homemaker is, for women, “one of the most important titles of all.”
Shortly after Butker’s speech, the NFL released a statement distancing itself from his remarks, saying that Butker’s views did not represent those of the organization.
Serena Williams, who hosted the 2024 ESPYs last month, threw shade at Butker — who was in attendance — in a bit on stage discussing the importance of supporting women’s sports with her sister, fellow tennis icon Venus Williams, and “Abbott Elementary” creator Quinta Brunson.
“Go ahead and enjoy women’s sports like you would any other sports, because they are sports,” Venus said, before her younger sister chimed in.
“Except you, Harrison Butker,” Serena quipped. “We don’t need you.”
“At all, like ever,” Brunson added.
Butker told the AP on Wednesday that he felt his remarks at Benedictine had been misinterpreted.
“My whole career, I’ve talked about how I’m a husband and I’m a father before it comes to me as a kicker, something I’ve always preached,” he said. “But then when I use that to talk about women, I say that they should embrace and love being wives and being mothers over their career, I think then it gets construed that I’m trying to put women down, which I’m not at all.”
In May, shortly after his initial remarks, Butker said he did not regret the things he said in his commencement speech “at all.”
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