Toub - Butker still Chiefs' kicker despite Tucker signing - ESPN

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Longtime Kansas City Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub expressed rather emphatically Thursday that Harrison Butker is the team's kicker despite the team signing Justin Tucker, who hasn't played in the NFL since 2024, to their practice squad.

«We're trying to improve and get Butker right,» Toub said. «That's what this whole thing is about. He's our kicker. He went 10-for-10 yesterday with Tucker standing right there. It was a windy day. It was 28 miles an hour gusts yesterday. That's a good thing. We're going to keep working it.»

Butker, 31, is expected to be in uniform during Sunday's game when the Chiefs face the Denver Broncos, a game that will determine who is in first place in the AFC West division. Last week, in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Butker missed two field goals, one from 58 yards and another from 45 yards. This season, Butker has missed five of 16 field goal attempts.

"[My] warmup wasn't great," Butker said after Sunday's game. «It's just something you've got to roll with and try to fix in a game and do your best. The 58-yarder was just short. The 45-yarder at the end, you've just got to make it. [I] just pushed it [wide right].

»I'm at my best when I'm smooth and not over swinging. I don't think power has been an issue. I think when I miss, it's because I'm swinging too hard."

Tucker, 37, didn't play last season. As a free agent, he served a 10-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. He was accused of sexual misconduct by 16 massage therapists from eight high-end spas and wellness centers in the Baltimore area, according to a report by The Baltimore Banner in February 2025. Tucker's alleged misconduct reportedly occurred between 2012 and 2016, during