Harrison Butker’s rough season took another hit Sunday, and by halftime at Arrowhead Stadium, the questions around his future with the Chiefs were already getting louder.
The Chiefs kicker missed a 56-yard field-goal attempt on the final play of the first half against the Jets, then got a second chance after a New York penalty. That didn’t change the result. His 51-yard try also missed, and both kicks sailed wide right.
CBS Sports’ cameras caught the moment, and Chiefs fans made their feelings clear as Butker headed to the locker room, booing him loudly.
At halftime, coach Andy Reid spoke with CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson and was asked what he needed to see from Butker.
“I need to see it go through,” Reid said succinctly.
The misses were part of a bigger trend. Butker has now missed at least one field goal in four straight games and in six of the last seven. The latest miss was his seventh of the season, a career worst.
Wolfson later said she had spoken with special-teams coordinator Dave Toub, who said the team was hoping to see Butker have a perfect day kicking. That didn’t happen, and CBS Sports analyst J.J. Watt said he was baffled by why the Chiefs haven’t turned to Justin Tucker, who was on the sideline but not in uniform after being signed to the practice squad.
The reaction around the game was immediate. Former Chiefs offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz wrote, “And he missed again.
You have to release Butker after this game. His job is making kicks.
He doesn’t make them anymore.”
Other social media reactions pointed to the same idea: that Sunday might have been Butker’s final game with Kansas City.
Chiefs fans at Arrowhead were already treating it that way.
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