Chiefs Sign Tucker Amidst Butker's 5 Missed Field Goals

The Kansas City Chiefs are addressing a specific weakness in their kicking game by adding a veteran presence to the roster. The move comes as the team prepares for a Week 8 matchup against the Denver Broncos.

The organization has signed Justin Tucker to its practice squad. Tucker is 36 years old and will turn 37 in late November. He is the NFL's second all-time leader in field goal percentage. The signing was confirmed by head coach Andy Reid during his weekly press conference on Wednesday.

The decision follows a difficult stretch for the Chiefs' current kicker, Harrison Butker. Butker is currently tied for the NFL lead in missed field goals with five. He shares that total with Trey Smack of the Green Bay Packers and Dominic Zvada of the New York Giants.

Butker's recent struggles were evident in the previous week's game. He missed field goal attempts from 58 and 45 yards in a 20-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. For the 2026 season, Butker has completed 11 of 16 field goal attempts. He has also missed an extra point or field goal in 15 of his last 26 regular season games.

Tucker has not been on an active NFL roster since the Baltimore Ravens released him in May 2025. The release followed reports of allegations regarding improper conduct during massage therapy sessions between 2012 and 2016. The league suspended Tucker for 10 games under its personal conduct policy. He faced no formal criminal charges.

Reid addressed the background of the signing directly. "He’s done his suspension," Reid said. "Took care of that business there. I’ll leave it at that for you." When asked about giving another player with a past a second chance, Reid added, "I try to do homework on it. (Tucker), he served a suspension."

Butker remains on the Chiefs' 53-man active roster. Reid indicated that Butker will take the majority of practice reps this week. The coach suggested that Butker is likely to remain the primary kicker for the upcoming Sunday game.

The signing brings up memories of a pregame dispute before the 2023 AFC Championship Game. At that time, Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes had a friction with Tucker over his placement of equipment near the quarterback warmup area. Kelce later described the incident on New Heights, saying Tucker violated an unwritten rule by disrupting the warmups.

Mahomes downplayed the previous incident during his own interview. He noted that he and Tucker had not spoken much since their teams split. "I think that moment was competitors being competitors," Mahomes said. He described the situation as a heat-of-the-battle moment in a big game, noting that both sides wanted to win.

Mahomes said he tries not to react emotionally to in-season personnel changes. "We have a lot of people that are added in and out," the quarterback said. He credited general manager Brett Veach for bringing in capable players. Mahomes stated that his focus is on the Broncos and continuing to clean up areas of the team's play.