Harrison Butker injury: Chiefs kicker gets grim update, return timeline per report

The Kansas City Chiefs got some bad news on Thursday evening about their kicker, Harrison Butker. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Butker is expected to miss 3-4 weeks and is likely headed to injured reserve with a left knee injury.

One observer on Twitter noted that Butker collapsed on his left knee following through on every kick this season. It’s a change to his kicking technique, and likely the reason that he needs a procedure done.

According to Pelissero, Butker will have the knee scoped to clean up the meniscus and he should be back within a month. But for now, the Chiefs will have to turn to Spencer Shrader as their backup kicker.

This season, Butker has drilled 90% of his field goal attempts and 95.5% of his extra points. The longest kick he has made has been a 53-yarder. The Chiefs are currently 9-0 and remain the only undefeated team in the National Football League. While they’ve had several close games, they’ve still managed to squeak by without a loss, thanks to their impressive defense.

Butker, a former seventh-round draft pick out of Georgia Tech, began his career with the Carolina Panthers, though the team waived him before the start of the 2017 season. He then inked with Kansas City. His previous contract with the Chiefs was for five years and $20.27 million.

Last season, he went 33-for-35 on regular-season field goals. He also hit on 38 of 38 extra-point attempts. Through seven seasons, all with the Chiefs, Butker has a 89.1% field goal rate and he’s 309-of-327 on extra points. During the team’s Super Bowl LVIII run, he went 11-for-11 on field goals, including two from 50+.

On3’s Nikki Chavanelle also contributed to this article.