Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid made his kicking decision for Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons.
Harrison Butker, who leads the NFL with seven missed field goals, will remain the team’s starting kicker on the road at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Justin Tucker, whom the Chiefs controversially signed to the practice squad, remains on the bench.
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Butker’s status as the team’s starting kicker was in question after yet another miss during Week 9’s rout of the New York Jets. After missing on a field goal attempt from 51 yards that was blown dead, Butker couldn’t hit it on a second try.
A flurry of boos at Arrowhead Stadium rained on Butker, who even admitted, “I I’m booing myself sometimes.”
Since the start of last season, Butker has missed a total 17 kicks – 12 field goals and five extra points – which is the most of any kicker in the league.
OutKick spoke with Pro Football Hall of Famer kicker Adam Vinatieri on Tuesday while he was in Germany supporting USAA ahead of the NFL’s Munich game between the Detroit Lions and New England Patriots. He believed the Chiefs would be running an open competition with Tucker, the 37-year-old veteran kicker, at practice.
Tucker was said to have an “off the charts” workout with the Chiefs, which led to his signing. However, Reid hasn’t pulled the plug on Butker just yet. He said he would “look at everything” this week, including the kicker position.
“You’d have to see how Justin’s doing as well, right?” Vinatieri said. “I mean, it’s always an open competition. The way I look at it, even if there’s not another kicker on your team, there’s always somebody out there. There’s 30 guys out there at any given time. It’s Harrison’s job to lose. He’s done a really, really nice job throughout his career. If he can right that ship and get it back, it’s his job, in my opinion. But like you said, as you get closer to playoffs, the margin of error is so much smaller.”
Tucker’s signing comes after he served a 10-game NFL suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy following allegations of sexual misconduct by many massage therapists from eight different spas and wellness centers in the Baltimore Area during his time playing for the Ravens. The alleged misconduct occurred between 2012 and 2016.
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While Tucker has vehemently denied the allegations, the NFL suspended him two months after being released by the Ravens in May 2025.
Tucker was reinstated in November, and previously tried out for the New Orleans Saints. But he’s been waiting his turn with the Chiefs now, as Butker looks to get a hold of his job back entering a crucial week for himself against the Falcons.
