Harrison Butker has been the Kansas City Chiefs’ primary kicker since entering the NFL in 2017. He’s been incredibly clutch over the years and is one of the best kickers in the league. Unfortunately, the Chiefs will have to go at least a month without him. What happened to Butker and when might the team expect him back?
What Is Harrison Butker’s Injury?
It seems likely that Butker has been dealing with this injury for most, if not all of the season. Butker had been falling over on his kicks all season, which is not something he typically does. It’s a minor miracle he’s been able to play through it this long.
Harrison Butker has collapsed on his left knee following through EVERY kick this season.
It is a change in his technique that really caught my attention, and unfortunately it’s not surprising his left knee needs a meniscus procedure.
Hope he gets healthy. https://t.co/DsSVrKmFuz pic.twitter.com/1szLcRzQea
— Drew Butler (@DrewButler) November 14, 2024
Evidently, the injury became too much to deal with. Team doctors took a closer look and it and revealed a torn meniscus for Butker.
When Will Butker Return From Injury?
A torn meniscus is not an uncommon injury for football players. When it happens, there are two paths for a player. If a player chooses to go for or requires a full repair, he will be on the shelf for at least 2-3 months. It is typically a season-ending injury. That is what Rashid Shaheed chose to do with his meniscus tear. He will not play again in 2024.
SEE MORE: NFL Injury Report
The alternative option is to trim the meniscus. That is not as great for the long-term health of the knee, but it does allow the player to return in 3-4 weeks. That is the route Butker has chosen. Since he is on injured reserve (IR), three weeks is obviously not possible. The earliest we can see Butker again would be in Week 15.
How Will Butker’s Absence Impact the Chiefs?
Despite clearly having this knee injury for some time, it didn’t seem to have any negative impact on Butker’s ability to drain kick after kick. Butker made 90% of his field goals before going on IR. He made 18 of his 20 kicks, with his only two misses coming from 50+ yards out. The only other kick he missed was one of his 22 extra-point attempts.
With Butker out for at least a month, the Chiefs have turned to Spencer Shrader as a replacement. He kicked for the New York Jets last week but will now be the presumptive kicker for the Chiefs for the next month or so.
Sources: Chiefs are signing kicker Spencer Shrader off the Jets practice squad and placing kicker Harrison Butker on injured reserve due to a knee injury. pic.twitter.com/4fmiBTvHaB
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 14, 2024
Shrader is a 25-year-old rookie UDFA looking to earn a starting job somewhere. In his first year in the league, he will now already be on his third team.
The Indianapolis Colts signed Shrader ahead of Week 1 to fill in for an injured Matt Gay. Once Gay returned in Week 2, Shrader went back to the practice squad, where he remained until they cut him ahead of Week 5.
When Greg Zuerlein went down with an injury a few weeks later, the Jets signed Shrader to replace him. He made his debut in Week 10, draining both of his field goals. Given that Zuerlein is on IR, Shrader wasn’t merely a placeholder for the Jets — he was their primary kicker and entered Week 11 fully expecting to kick for them again.
As if the Jets haven’t had enough go wrong this year, it was a complete blunder on their part causing them to lose their kicker. Rather than sign Shrader to the active roster, the Jets reverted him back to the practice squad after their Week 10 game against the Arizona Cardinals.
That left him vulnerable for another team to swoop in and sign him. After Butker went down, that’s exactly what the Chiefs did. Now, the Jets need a new kicker, while Shrader will presumably be with the Chiefs for at least a month.