Even amid record-setting season, this Chiefs kicker is constantly eyeing improvement
Harrison Butker produced a record-setting campaign in 2019, but he won’t let his accomplishments go to his head.
The Chiefs’ third-year kicker stays grounded because he knows his parents, Elizabeth and Harrison Butker, won’t hesitate to remind him that no matter what he’s accomplished in the NFL, there’s always room for improvement.
“My dad will be like, ‘I was watching your last couple of kicks from the past game and the ball was doing this,’” Butker said with a chuckle. “He’s always making comments about stuff, but it’s good.
“It keeps me humble, especially if I’ve had a couple of good weeks and I’m feeling good. He’ll notice something in there that’s a little off, and sometimes when I think I’m struggling, he’ll tell me I’m doing great. So, it kind of balances out.”
Butker pauses to offer a wide smile before giving credit to his parents for identifying his potential early.
“They believed in me,” Butker said. “They didn’t push me to do anything I didn’t want to do, but they saw how I reacted. I loved sports growing up and I always wanted to get better, and I love what I do for a career now.”
The kicker’s approach to his job is sweet music to the Chiefs’ ears. There’s little doubt about what he has meant to Kansas City since the team signed him off the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad in September 2017.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Butker has more than lived up to his “Buttkicker” nickname by blossoming into one of the NFL’s best at his position. His 89.7 career field-goal percentage (minimum 100 attempts) ranks first in team history.
Equipped with accuracy and a big leg, the AFC’s Special Teams Player of the Month for November closed out the regular season with 147 points to set a club record for the most points by a kicker in a single season.
Butker has 426 career points in his first three seasons, an NFL record for any player in his first three seasons. To put that total in perspective, Butker shattered the mark previously held by New Orleans Saints kicker Wil Lutz, who scored 409 from 2016 to 2018.
Just 24, Butker holds numerous franchise records, including most points for a kicker in a rookie season (142 in 2017), most field goals in a single season (38 in 2017), most consecutive games with a field goal (23 in 2017) and most extra points in a season (65 in 2018), among others.
Butker’s success doesn’t come as a surprise to punter Dustin Colquitt.
“With a guy like Harrison, right off the bat, I think once he got comfortable with his new surroundings, his team and the community rallied behind him, the sky’s the limit for him,” Colquitt said. “He’s got a big leg, one of the best kickoff legs in the league.
“You’ve got Baltimore, Cleveland, Kansas City and Buffalo. Those are really tough places to punt and kick, and he’s really thriving here. It’s been fun to watch him do that.”
Long snapper James Winchester agreed.
“He’s so detail-oriented and he’s always working to get better,” Winchester said. “That’s the definition of a great kicker. Watching him, even as young as he is, I feel like he’s beyond his years when it comes to maturity. ... (W)atching him, what he’s done over the past few years, is really impressive.”
Setting records never crossed Butker’s mind when he first entered the league in 2017 as a seventh-round draft pick with the Panthers. For the driven and analytical Butker, who graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in industrial engineering, it’s about breaking down what was supposed to happen, what actually occurred and what can be done to make improvements.
Not being content to maintain the status quo should help Butker stay in the NFL for a long time, if he wants. And there’s more to having an extended career as a kicker than meets the eye.
“They have to stay in shape and people don’t think that,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “They have to maintain their lower-body strength. So, if you’re asking me longevity, they’ve got to make the kicks, number one, to stay on the team. And to make it go, they have to keep themselves physically in shape. Sometimes that doesn’t always happen.”
Butker, who replaced Cairo Santos in 2017 after Santos landed on injured reserve with a groin injury, understands that.
“I think you obviously have to take care of your body,” he said. “I think one thing for a kicker is if you get injured, then you’re not able to play and they’ll look for someone else. So I think being healthy is No. 1, and then always challenging yourself to get better every single day.
“I feel like it’s easy when some guys get some success. They kind of just sit on that and say, ‘Alright, I’m good.’ But, me personally, I’m always trying to push to see how I can get better, even if it’s just a half-percent. ‘How can I get better?’ That’s kind of a goal for me. I never want to get complacent.”
That dedication is embraced by his teammates in the locker room. They know that when a game is on the line and a kick is needed, such as when Butker calmly delivered a game-winning 44-yard field goal as time expired against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9, there’s nobody else they’d want to take it.
“Whenever we need three points or a clutch kick, we know he’s the one who can do it,” rookie wide receiver Mecole Hardman said.
Linebacker Anthony Hitchens agreed.
“He brings a lot of confidence for our team,” Hitchens said. “He’s kicking great. He’s young and he should be kicking for a long time.”
And as for the records? Well, Butker knows all about those, too. He just won’t allow them to become more important than the team.
“It’s definitely surreal,” Butker said. “I’m very blessed to be doing what I’m doing. I love what I’m doing.”
