Within the 2025 season, the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs’ efficiency didn’t meet expectations, and that broke right down to people like kicker Harrison Butker. He’s the fourth-highest paid kicker by common wage, but final yr, Butker missed 5 area targets and 4 point-after makes an attempt.
5 of these missed kicks got here throughout the first 4 weeks of the marketing campaign, echoing the sluggish begin of the workforce as a complete.
Butker mirrored on the disappointing season with native media after Tuesday’s necessary minicamp follow. He was clear in his reflection of the tough starting to the yr.
“When you start the season off with misses, your back is kind of against the wall mentally,” Butker mentioned as he acknowledged the sluggish begin. “It kind of takes a toll on you; it’s just not great. I climbed out of it, I finished the season [and] I think I was above [the] 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.”
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – DECEMBER 07: Ameer Velocity #37 of the Houston Texans reacts as Harrison Butker #7 of the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs watches his missed area objective try in the course of the second quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on December 07, 2025 in Kansas Metropolis, Missouri. (Picture by Jamie Squire/Getty Pictures) Getty Pictures
Within the preseason final yr, Butker was good on area targets and additional factors. He made all six point-after makes an attempt over the three exhibition matches, together with 4 area targets — together with one over 50 yards.
It was considered one of solely two preseasons Butker has been good since earlier than the 2019 season. It didn’t result in a scorching begin in 2025, however Butker is trying ahead to a equally robust efficiency on this preseason.
“I think the focus is just to have a great training camp, to be very competitive with myself,” Butker famous. “Preseason, sometimes you don’t get a lot of reps. I don’t think last preseason we got too many field goals, or maybe there were shorter field goals, but [I’m] just hoping I can have a good training camp and start out strong for the season.”
To dig deeper into the struggles Butker went by way of in 2025, after years of being as dependable and clutch as any kicker within the NFL, he talked concerning the overkill of specializing in making lengthy kicks.
“Starting the season last year with the misses, and they were long misses, I feel like I was just so focused on hitting the big ball,” Butker mentioned. “Especially when it’s like a 56-yarder, I’m trying to crush it when there’s no need to. If you just hit it smooth, it’ll still go over the crossbar.
“So for the rest of the season, I just didn’t really care about hitting a big ball, and I really haven’t focused on that during OTAs,” Butker identified. “[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. You don’t need to overpower it. Kicking is such a mental skill that if you’re going out there and you don’t have the right mindset, that can really affect you a ton.”
This offseason, Butker’s shift in mentality has been profitable thus far. Final week, particular groups coordinator Dave Toub shared that Butker made three area targets in a row to finish every two-minute drill the Chiefs ran. Every area objective was over 60 yards.
Each participant and coach was affected by the change in time without work this spring and summer season; the season shifted from ending in mid-February to a protracted offseason beginning in early January.
Butker was considered one of them and is trying to make use of the extra 5 weeks to his benefit.
“Those first couple of weeks after the season, I just focused a ton on flexibility and mobility,” Butker mentioned. “So, when I showed up here, I felt like my body could move exactly how I wanted it to.”
“When you play all the way to the Super Bowl, maybe you’re a little bit more banged up, but you’re also just mentally fatigued,” Butker admitted. “You kind of want to get away, and then before you know it, you’re showing up for Phase 2, and you’re kind of back in the ring. So, I think it was just focusing on getting healthy, and obviously, as a kicker, I’m very blessed I don’t have the contact injuries, but just making sure you’re feeling good… very thankful for that extra time.”
Kansas Metropolis might be hoping the prolonged time to relaxation and recoup will make a distinction for Butker, who has made a distinction between wins and losses on many events within the Chiefs’ run to a few Tremendous Bowl titles. He wasn’t the explanation the workforce dropped to 6-11 final yr, however he might be a giant issue within the group returning to the highest of the division, convention and league.
