Harrison Butker's contract with the Chiefs has saved him from being cut for now, but his future is starting to look bleak

Harrison Butker 's position with the Kansas City Chiefs is becoming increasingly uncertain after another costly miss exposed his declining reliability as whilst his fully guaranteed contract protects his immediate future, the team's recent move to bring in Justin Tucker raises questions. The latest setback came against the Denver Broncos in Week 8, when Butker failed to convert a 54-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter. Kansas City had been leading by three points.

​But the miss gave Denver an opportunity to take control as Patrick Mahomes had been sacked for a six-yard loss on third down, turning what would have been a 48-yard attempt into a much longer kick. However, Butker sent his effort wide right, and Denver subsequently drove downfield to score the decisive touchdown. Andy Reid defended the decision to attempt the kick, arguing that the distance remained achievable for his veteran specialist. "Those are hindsight. It ended up being what it was," Reid said, via FOX 4 Kansas City. "But it's within Harrison's range." Yet Butker 's recent performances make that assessment harder to defend statistically. He has struggled from longer distances, missing three significant attempts across the Chiefs ' recent defeats, including two against the Seattle Seahawks the previous week. Through 2023, Butker converted 89.1 percent of his field goals and made 28 of 40 attempts from beyond 50 yards. Since then, his overall success rate has fallen to 82.2 percent, while his conversion rate from that distance has dropped to 44.4 percent.

Why Harrison Butker's contract complicates the Chiefs' decision

But it is his 2026 numbers are particularly concerning as Butker has converted only one of five attempts from beyond 50 yards, including the miss against Denver , while another attempt from 45 yards against the Broncos also went wide right. Kansas City has already taken steps to explore alternatives, signing former Baltimore Ravens kicker Tucker to its practice squad earlier in the week despite him not playing in the NFL since 2024 after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct. He denies the claims. Despite the competition, Butker 's contract makes an immediate release financially difficult as his four-year, $25 million agreement is fully guaranteed for the current season, meaning cutting him now would offer the Chiefs little financial relief. Spotrac reported that Butker is receiving a guaranteed $5.8 million salary this season, but the remaining two years and $11.7 million on his deal are not protected. His contract runs through 2028, leaving Kansas City a potential opportunity to move on after the current campaign. Butker has earned more than $36 million during his NFL career and previously established himself among the league's leading kickers though his recent decline has changed the discussion around his place in Kansas City . The Chiefs could still retain him for the remainder of the season because of his contract, but the arrival of Tucker creates genuine competition and unless Butker improves in the coming weeks, his long-term future with the franchise will remain under serious scrutiny.