Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s longest made field goal is 58 yards. However, he hopes to change that by a long way this season.
Butker made some alterations technique-wise on his field goals this offseason and now he’s hoping to split the uprights from 70 yards away.
“The conditions have to be right,” Butker said Wednesday in St. Joe, Mo. “It’s got to be warm. Probably some wind at your back and you got to do it when the pressure is on. Full snap and hold, team’s coming to block the kick. But I feel like I have the distance for it definitely.”
The NFL record for the longest made field goal is 66 yards set by Baltimore’s Justin Tucker last season. Through watching film on Tucker, Butker noticed something he wanted to incorporate into his own attempts.
“His ball, you see the laces are pretty much in the middle the entire time,” Butker said. “If you watch me or some inefficient kickers, if you’re looking at ball rotation, the laces are way left, way right. The ball’s not going completely end over end.
“So if I put the same amount of energy into a kick, and the ball is going end over end vs. the same amount of energy into another kick where I might have my toe forward — it’s not a completely flush kick. I want my foot to be perpendicular with the ball. If it’s not perpendicular with the ball, the ball’s not going to be going end over end and it’s not going to go as far.”
Butker said previously when he made contact, his foot would immediately veer left and he would lose distance. But now he said the ball is “going as far as it ever has for field goals.” Case in point came last weekend against the Bears at Soldier Field.
During pregame warmups Butker made a 66-yarder. And though his 72-yarder fell just short, he gained confidence that he could do it when it counts.
“I feel like I have a lot of distance now, and hopefully that’ll come up this season,” Butker said.
Against the Bears, starting safety Justin Reid came on for Butker and made a PAT, and Butker gave him a big hug after the play. Reid has shown a strong leg during training camp and has lobbied to be the Chiefs’ backup kicker if they ever need one.
So Chiefs coach Andy Reid gave him the opportunity in a preseason game, and the safety came through, which thrilled Butker.
“To do it in a game, that’s impressive,” Butker said. “These stadiums generate wind. And fields can be different than a turf field. And he went out there and made the kick when the pressure was on, and nobody blocked the kick. So I’m super pumped for him. I know how difficult that is to go out there and execute, and he doesn’t really practice it.”
And while Butker doesn’t anticipate the team’s starting safety attending special teams meetings, he encouraged Reid to talk with him and punter Tommy Townsend about kicking as often as he can.
“I’m all for it,” Butker said. “I’m all for evolving the game of kicking and pushing the limits. So to have more people who are enthusiastic about being kickers, I’m all for it.”
JONES, HARDMAN EXIT PRACTICE EARLY
Defensive lineman Chris Jones and wide receiver Mecole Hardman left Wednesday’s practice early with injuries and both were carted to the locker room.
Jones left with a sore back and Hardman injured his groin. No further updates were provided, though Andy Reid is scheduled to talk to the media Thursday.
