The Kansas City Chiefs are preparing for their fifth Super Bowl in six seasons, and while a ton of familiar faces make up the roster, there are also some new players. One of the more prominent additions, especially in the last two seasons, has been punter Matt Araiza.
One year ago, the former Ray Guy Award winner was out of the NFL; the Buffalo Bills released him before his first regular-season snap after a lawsuit accused him and two former college teammates of rape. After fighting the allegations to clear his name, he joined the Chiefs. Now, after defeating his former team, he’s playing the Super Bowl.
Matt Araiza Opens Up About Playing in the Super Bowl Months After Being Out of the NFL
In his first season with Kansas City, Araiza is making a run to the Super Bowl — similar to rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy — and the punter understands the significance of the moment.
“It’s pretty special, I mean, this is the pinnacle of football. So to be a small part of it, it’s really cool, I’m grateful for this,” Araiza told PFN.
When asked if he has any nerves while experiencing the magic of the Super Bowl, Araiza admitted he does.
“A little bit; I mean, a lot of the vets on our team have done this multiple times,’ he said. “In my room, specifically, James [Winchester] (and Harrison Butker), this is their fifth Super Bowl. So they definitely have done their best explaining what a lot of the process is going to be like.”
Before his experience with the Chiefs, Araiza had only appeared in preseason games with the Bills, who opted to cut him when the accusations were made public.
Of course, his road back to the NFL has been as hard as they come. During his rookie season, the Bills rookie was cut from the team due to the allegations. Ultimately, in December 2023, Araiza and his accuser mutually agreed to drop their respective lawsuits against each other, as the punter had filed a defamation suit against his accuser. He also had a settlement with his accuser’s lawyer for malicious prosecution, with the terms not disclosed publicly.
However, it dramatically changed the trajectory of his career. Araiza was candid when speaking about it, being vulnerable and honest about his journey.
“You know, there were challenges,” Araiza said. “But standing where I am today, I wouldn’t want to change anything because, you know, this is so special.”
A year ago, he didn’t even believe a return to the NFL was in the cards.
“I mean, I kept a little bit of hope, making it back to the NFL, but I would have been so grateful to be on a team that didn’t win a game for the whole year,” he admitted. “So to end up on this quality of a team, you know, being able to go to the playoffs and eventually the Super Bowl, yeah, it’s pretty special.”
Last week, Araiza got his chance at a revenge game of sorts when squaring off against the Bills in the AFC Championship Game. Before the allegations came out, Buffalo had named him the starting punter before cutting him from the team ahead of the final preseason game.
Araiza and the Chiefs defeated the Bills to advance to Super Bowl 59, which he described as “really a full circle moment.”
When asked about his experience going up against his former team, he was honest, admitting, “Yeah, I mean, it was pretty special. I think I kind of tried to stay away from the emotional side of things and just kind of focus on business. And, yeah, looking back, it’s definitely a great memory.”