Harrison Butker Looking to Put Roller Coaster Season in Rearview

At the peak of his career, Kansas City Chiefs star Harrison Butker was firmly cemented as one of the two or three best kickers in the sport. With his 31st birthday approaching and organized team activities (OTAs) in the books, he faces an uphill battle to get back to that.

The solution might be simple, though, if you ask Butker. The 10th-year man spoke to the media at minicamp on Tuesday, breaking down what was certainly a tumultuous 2025-26 season. Following his third underwhelming effort in four years, he has a clear goal in mind.

Butker wants to come out of the gate on fire this year and let the good times roll.

"Slow start, you know?" Butker said of what plagued him last year. "I think when you start the season off with misses, your back's kind of against the wall [and] mentally, it kind of takes a toll on you. It's just not great. I climbed out of it; I finished the season, I think I was above middle-of-the-pack. Obviously, you don't even want to be there, but you don't want to start out the season missing as much."

Indeed, Butker didn't set a good tone early on. Heading into Week 6, he was just 10-of-13 (76.9%) on field goal tries and 11-of-13 (84.6%) on extra points. He responded by drilling 92.0% of the former and 90.9% of the latter down the stretch, but concerns still remained.

Butker finished the year barely above the league-average field goal clip of 85.6% and was second-to-last in accuracy on point-afters.

This offseason, the former seventh-round pick said he used a longer runway than usual (a benefit of no trip to the playoffs) to work on flexibility and recovery after fatigue from lengthy runs in years prior. In his view, being mentally focused is just as important — if not more — than being physically ready to go.

"It just tells you when you're smooth and you have good foot-to-ball contact and you're feeling strong, the ball's going to go," Butker said. "You don't need to overpower it. Kicking's just such a mental skill. If you're going out there and you don't have the right mindset, that can really affect you a ton."

As of writing, Butker ranks fourth among kickers in average annual contract value at $6.4 million. He's paid to be elite, yet he's failed to hold up his end of that bargain. Injuries and inconsistency have plagued him in all but one recent season:

2022: 13 games played, 75.0% on field goals
2023: 17 games, 94.3%
2024: 13 games, 84.0%
2025: 17 games, 86.8%

Butker's once-great ability from long distance is also in question. As the league's accuracy from 50- and 55-plus yards has held steady in the last three seasons, Butker's has fluctuated. He claims his range is similar these days to what it has been before, although he hasn't "focused on that during OTAs."

Regardless of whether his approach pays off, it's clear that Butker wants to generate some momentum and return to form as the offseason continues.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google