The Chiefs have reached the point where Harrison Butker’s leash is no longer unlimited.
After weeks of uneven kicking to open the new season, Kansas City is bringing in one of the few names in the sport with the résumé to create a real conversation. On Wednesday, Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star reported that the Chiefs were expected to sign veteran kicker Justin Tucker to the team’s practice squad, a clear sign the organization is uneasy about Butker’s current form.
Tucker is not just another camp body. The longtime Ravens kicker spent 13 seasons in Baltimore after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2012, and his record speaks for itself: five first-team All-Pro selections, seven Pro Bowl nods, a career field goal percentage of 89.1 percent and the third-best mark in NFL history. He also held the league record for the longest field goal after drilling a 66-yarder against Detroit as time expired in 2021, and he sits No. 17 on the NFL’s all-time points list with 1,775.
His availability comes with a complicated backdrop. Tucker was released by the Ravens in ’25 after an NFL investigation, where in he was accused by 18 massage therapists of misconduct early in his career.
He served a 10-game suspension and then became free to sign with any team. The Saints, Colts and Jets also brought him in for tryouts this year before the Chiefs moved toward adding him.
For Kansas City, the timing lines up with Butker’s rough start. He’s made just 11 of 16 field goals this season, and the misses have piled up alongside earlier issues with extra points and a drop in accuracy from his peak years. Sunday night against the Seahawks was another swing and a miss: Butker pushed a 45-yard attempt wide right late in the game after already coming up short on a 58-yarder.
As Josh Dubow noted on October 26, 2026: “Harrison Butker's 15 missed kicks (10 FGs, 5 PATs) since start of last season are the most in NFL.”
The message from the Chiefs is plain. They are not looking for a project or a long-term flier.
Brett Veach brought in the one available kicker whose experience and track record can stand next to Butker’s, and now the pressure shifts squarely back onto the incumbent. With two decorated specialists in the building, Kansas City is trying to find stability at a spot that has become a problem far too quickly.
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