Chiefs On SI Mailbag: Could KC Free Up Space by Cutting Harrison Butker?

We've been tracking all of the Chiefs' trade deadline reports and rumors here on Chiefs On SI, but in this edition of the Chiefs On SI mailbag, we're focusing on some familiar names to see where the Chiefs stand at the halfway point of the 2026 NFL season.

Every week, we take your questions on Twitter/X and BlueSky to see what queries bubble up from around Chiefs Kingdom. Even at 6-2, there are plenty of areas for improvement for this Kansas City squad.

What would it cost KC to release Butker? -@mrscecilwade.bsky.social

This is part of the issue with Harrison Butker's recent struggles; cutting him wouldn't help the cap situation at all for the 2026 season.

Butker's entire 2026 salary is fully guaranteed, meaning that there's nothing to be financially gained by releasing him. If the Chiefs do cut Butker this season, it would be solely for the sake of opening a 53-man roster spot; his $7.3 million cap hit isn't decreasing. If they part ways with Butker any time before next season, he would have a $2.8 million dead cap hit in 2027, accounting for the remainder of his prorated signing bonus.

Who are the real Chiefs? The first-half Chiefs or the second-half? -@ReidsNuggies

That's the beautiful thing about this sport: they're both the real Chiefs!

The version of the Kansas City defense that allowed the New York Jets to march down the field before holding New York to a series of field goals? We've seen that kind of bend-but-don't-break defense from Steve Spagnoulo's unit many times this year and in the recent past. The pass rush that recorded five sacks against a quarterback who holds the ball too long? We've seen that before, too!

Are Creed Humphrey's snaps a recurring problem? Yep. The undeniable issues at offensive tackle that almost got Patrick Mahomes injured? Seen it. The dominant rushing effort on the ground with that same O-line and Kenneth Walker? That's familiar. Being (overly) reliant on age-37 Travis Kelce, but still scoring 35 points with him as your leading receiver? That's the Chiefs, too.

We'll take a closer look at the pass rush with the next question, but as is usually the case, teams are a collection of all the moments—good and bad—that make up their season. The Chiefs are flawed in some key areas, and they're also 6-2 and quarterbacked by Mahomes.

Can the D-line keep up what we saw, or was that a matchup thing? -@chefnewgaard.bsky.social

Hopefully, a little bit of both! We knew that Geno Smith entered that game tied as the second-most-sacked quarterback in the league this year, but we had also seen the Chiefs' pass rush underperform against often-hit quarterbacks at other times this season, so I don't think Sunday's five-sack effort needs to be downplayed. That's still a huge positive step forward, even if it was "supposed" to happen that way. Still, there's more work to be done; the KC pass rush will need to put up similar efforts against Atlanta and Arizona before they're tested by Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving.

Is a Kareem Hunt signing a possibility to fix the short yardage issues? -@KCARROWHEAD29

It seems like the time for a Kareem Hunt reunion has probably passed, but I've had this same thought many times this season. Heck, even after signing Kenneth Walker and drafting Emmett Johnson, I wondered if Hunt would at least get a chance to spend training camp with the Chiefs before taking a practice squad spot, similarly to how Clyde Edwards-Helaire hung around on the practice squad in 2025.

With Brashard Smith on injured reserve and undrafted rookie Jaydn Ott on the active roster, I'm still at least slightly curious about a Hunt reunion, even though it feels more unlikely with every passing week. Hunt obviously doesn't have much tread left on the proverbial tires, but he seemed to have a uniquely excellent ability to find first downs in short-yardage situations, and the Chiefs would be 7-1 if they could have executed a short-yardage score against Denver. I'd also assume that Hunt would still be a viable pass protector on third downs, which was the other reason I half-expected to see him with the team in St. Joseph this summer.

For all of the Chiefs' frequent reunions with former players who are a few years past their prime, this was one that I would've understood, though I doubt we see it at this stage unless there's another injury in the running back room.

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