'It's changed up things a little bit' – Chiefs ST coordinator Dave Toub on Harrison Butker's knee surgery
Perhaps the most underrated piece of the Kansas City Chiefs' dynasty has been kicker Harrison Butker. As the Chiefs look to accomplish a Super Bowl three-peat, they'll be depending on Butker to come through in the clutch yet again. However, this year there's a bit of unrest surrounding him, as he spent Weeks 11-14 on […]
Perhaps the most underrated piece of the Kansas City Chiefs' dynasty has been kicker Harrison Butker.
As the Chiefs look to accomplish a Super Bowl three-peat, they'll be depending on Butker to come through in the clutch yet again. However, this year there's a bit of unrest surrounding him, as he spent Weeks 11-14 on injured reserve with a left knee injury.
Butker had to undergo a minor surgical procedure to fix the issue. During his final four games of the season following his return, Butker went 3-5 on field goals and missed one extra point attempt.
Much has been made about Butker's kicking technique, as he drops his knee on his non-kicking leg all the way to the ground. That is the knee that he had surgery on, leading to questions of whether or not he should continue to kick with that form.
Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub addressed the topic with the media on Wednesday.
"He's just had surgery on that knee, we can't forget that," Toub said. "I mean, it was a minor surgery, but still, it's lingered a little bit. It's the plant leg that he collapses, or whatever we want to call that, you know. So, it's changed up things a little bit, but I think he's looked good most recently."
Toub went on to say that they can only change Butker's technique so much this late in the year, but he's still kicking with a lot of power and he really benefited from the extra time off.
"We'll address that at the end of the season," Toub said about Butker's technique. "You know, it's not something you want to change right now. It's something he's been doing now for last few years, you don't want to mess with that. He had a lot of power yesterday. He looked like the old Butker again. So, that's that's encouraging. The fact that he's been kicking a lot, you know, we're kicking all the time now, so all that's going to help."
Butker's field goal percentage (84%) and extra point percentage (93.5%) in 2024 both rank as the second-lowest mark of his career. His longest field goal of the season is just 53 yards, which matches his rookie season for the lowest mark in his career.
Despite that, the Chiefs are likely going to continue to trust Butker in critical situations. He is the highest-paid kicker in NFL history after signing a four-year, $25.6 million contract during the offseason. In seven career postseasons, Butker has scored 158 points on 62-of-65 PAT attempts and 32-of-36 field goals made.
