As Harrison Butker attracts controversy for his statements during the NFL offseason, his actual involvement in an NFL game could be about to change. The Kansas City Chiefs are exploring the possibility of Butker not being on the field for kickoffs with the new rule starting in 2024.
It’s nothing really rare, as plenty of NFL teams have other options for kickoff matters, such as a punter with a strong leg. The idea of not using the kicker at the kickoffs anymore, according to special teams coach Dave Toub, is not to expose him to the risk of tackles with the new rules:
“I’d like to have somebody who’s able to make a tackle. Butker is able to, but I really don’t want him making tackles all year long. If you watch the XFL – and we’ve watched every play -, kickers were involved in 25-40% of the tackles, trying to get the guy to bounce back or tackling himself”
The #Chiefs have considered not using Harrison Butker for all kickoffs and instead using a player like safety Justin Reid.
Special teams coordinator Dave Toub said the new kickoff rule has kickers more involved in tackles, and they don’t want that for Butker.
The full answer is… pic.twitter.com/V10t0QkMFf
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 30, 2024
The idea of having Justin Reid or Louis Rees-Zammit kicking for the Chiefs is being discussed by the team. Of course, to have Butker not kicking to avoid the risk of being injured after his recent statements evoked plenty of jokes from NFL fans.
What did Harrison Butker say?
The Kansas City Chiefs kicker had some controversial comments about an array of topics, but the biggest one involved the “role” of women in society.
“For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you. Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world. I’m on this stage today and able to be the man I am because I have a wife who leans into her vocation.”
He copped tremendous backlash for his comments, and the NFL released a statement distancing itself from the kicker’s views. Players such as Jalen Hurts also commented on the matter and couldn’t disagree more with the statements.
