The Chiefs have reached the point where Harrison Butker’s leash no longer looks endless.
Kansas City is expected to add veteran kicker Justin Tucker to the practice squad, according to Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star on Wednesday. It’s the clearest sign yet that the Chiefs are worried about Butker’s recent inaccuracy after sticking with him through the early part of the season.
Tucker’s arrival brings a rare kind of credibility to a kicking competition. Long known as one of the NFL’s elite at the position, the former Ravens standout spent 13 seasons in Baltimore after joining the team as an undrafted free agent in 2012.
In that stretch, he collected five first-team All-Pro honors and seven Pro Bowl selections while building a résumé that includes a career field goal percentage of 89.1 percent, third-best all-time. He also once set the NFL record for the longest field goal, drilling a 66-yarder against Detroit as time expired in 2021.
Tucker is No. 17 on the league’s all-time points list with 1,775.
His football profile is only part of the story, though. Tucker was released by the Ravens in ’25 after an NFL investigation in which he was accused by 18 massage therapists of misconduct early in his career.
He served a 10-game suspension and became eligible to sign with any team. He drew tryouts from the Saints, Colts and Jets this year before landing with the Chiefs.
For Butker, the pressure has been building for weeks. He has made just 11 of 16 field goals this season, and the misses have piled up around him over a longer stretch, too. On Sunday night against the Seahawks, he pushed a 45-yard try wide right late in the game after already coming up short on a 58-yard attempt earlier in the night.
Harrison Butker's 15 missed kicks (10 FGs, 5 PATs) since start of last season are the most in NFL.
- Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) October 26, 2026
That kind of wobble is what pushed Kansas City to act. The Chiefs are not looking for a project here.
Tucker’s resume makes him the cleanest available option if they want a kicker whose track record can stack up next to Butker’s. It also suggests general manager Brett Veach wanted experience, not a long-term experiment.
Butker helped carry the Chiefs through their championship run, including three Super Bowl titles, and that part of his legacy isn’t going anywhere. Still, the present reality is hard to ignore.
With Tucker now in the building on the practice squad, the Chiefs have put real heat on Butker to straighten things out quickly. If they decide to make a switch, there won’t be any questions about whether Tucker can handle the moment.
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