Kansas City Chiefs to sign former Buffalo Bills P Matt Araiza with Tommy Townsend set to hit free agency in 2024
The Kansas City Chiefs have signaled that they're unlikely to re-sign a pending free agent on special teams in a shocking move on Thursday. As first reported by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Chiefs are set to sign free agent P Matt Araiza. The former sixth-round pick out of San Diego State by the Buffalo Bills […]
The Kansas City Chiefs have signaled that they're unlikely to re-sign a pending free agent on special teams in a shocking move on Thursday.
As first reported by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Chiefs are set to sign free agent P Matt Araiza. The former sixth-round pick out of San Diego State by the Buffalo Bills in 2022 has been out of the league for the past year. A civil lawsuit was filed against Araiza, accusing him and two former Aztec teammates of involvement in the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old girl.
The lawsuit was eventually dropped, no charges were filed and Araiza has since been cleared of all wrongdoing. We all know that Andy Reid is big on second chances and it seems that Araiza will get his second chance in Kansas City.
Tommy Townsend's future is now up in the air
Tommy Townsend's future currently appears to be up in the air. It seems unlikely with this move that he'll be back in Kansas City for the 2024 NFL season. The two-time Super Bowl champion is among the team's unrestricted free agents.
Townsend originally signed a three-year, $2.2M contract with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Florida in 2020. Last season, he signed a one-year deal worth $2.6M on the back of a Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro season. After he signed that contract, Townsend hired Drew Rosenhaus to represent him, a signal that he was seeking a major long-term extension that would pay him atop the NFL's salary range for punters.
What else should Chiefs fans know about Matt Araiza?
Araiza was nicknamed the "Punt God" for his record-setting and historic tenure at San Diego State as a college athlete. Coming out of college, Araiza ranked first in FBS history in punt average (51.4 avg.), career 60-yard punts (18), and career 50-yard punts (39). In his final season, Araiza led punters in the FBS with 41 punts landing inside the 20-yard line.
Upon entry into the NFL, Araiza showed that he had the leg to translate. His first punt in the preseason of 2022 with Buffalo was an 82-yarder with an official hangtime of 4.23 seconds.
He can flip the field at a moment's notice.
Araiza released a statement via his agency, JL Sports:
“I am proud and honored to sign a contract with the ChiefsI am thrilled to be able to continue my NFL career. I want to thank my family, who have been my rock, and my many friends who have been unwavering in their support. I am excited to begin the next phase of my career with the Super Bowl Champs!”
As far as holding is concerned, Araiza doesn't have much in the way of college experience there, but he does have limited NFL experience from his time with the Bills.
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