Harrison Butker's role with the Kansas City Chiefs could change in 2024.
While the Chiefs still plan to use him as their primary field goal kicker, Kansas City special teams coordinator Dave Toub told reporters Thursday that the team could look to use a different kickoff specialist because of the league's new rules.
Toub noticed while watching film from the XFL that kickers could be forced to tackle more — something he said he doesn't want Butker involved in as much as he could be in 2024.
"I'd like to have somebody go back to make a tackle," he said. "I mean, Butker's abile to make a tackle but I don't really want him making tackles all year round. If you watch the XFL, we watched every play and I bet kickers were involved in probably at least 25-40% of the tackles ... we don't Butker in that situation."
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Toub added that Butker could still be called upon in certain kickoff situations — like if the Chiefs need a touchback. But that won't be the case on every kick as the new rules would give the receiving team the ball at their own 35-yard line. Therefore, Toub said it makes more sense to use a kicker who can also cover return specialists and make tackles as necessary.
The #Chiefs have considered not using Harrison Butker for all kickoffs and instead using a player like safety Justin Reid.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 30, 2024
Special teams coordinator Dave Toub said the new kickoff rule has kickers more involved in tackles, and they don't want that for Butker.
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The name Toub mentioned as a possible was safety Justin Reid, who's kicked for the Chiefs in the past. Reid kicked three times in Week 1 of the 2022 season when Butker left with a brief injury. He went 1-for-2 on extra points and kicked a touchback. He attempted six other kicks that season for 445 total yards — four of which were also touchbacks.
"He's an extra guy that they're probably not accounting for," Toub added.
The new kickoff rules have created a new paradigm for NFL teams looking to gain an edge on special teams. Teams are expecting more kickoffs to be returned in 2024 with the new rules, leading to new and interesting signings. The Chiefs signed Welsh rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit as a potential return specialist because of his blazing speed, while other teams like the Jets and Steelers signed kick return stars Tarik Cohen and Cordarrelle Patterson, respectively.
This is perhaps the first football news associated with Butker all offseason. The veteran kicker made controversial comments earlier this offseason about women and LGBTQ+ pride. Many opposed his comments, while the Chiefs mostly stood by their kicker despite disagreements with what he said. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell didn't distance himself from Butkers' comments, but the league did release a statement decrying the speech.
