After a season in which the Kansas City Chiefs thrived under the NFL’s revamped kickoff rules, veteran kicker Harrison Butker is making headlines with a new, albeit playful, proposal.
During an appearance on the LOOPcast podcast, Butker backed an idea pitched by co-host Tom Pogasic-that kickoffs which sail through the uprights should be rewarded with a point.
“Definitely. Yeah. They need to change that,” Butker said, half-laughing. “Anything that we can do to make the game more focused on special teams, kickers, punters-that only makes our value go up. So I’m all for that.”
His suggestion may not be official, but it touches on a broader truth: Butker and the Chiefs have repeatedly been at the heart of major changes to NFL gameplay. The 2024 season saw the NFL adopt an XFL-inspired kickoff system aimed at improving player safety while reviving return play.
Kansas City leaned into the change, with Butker and special teams coach Dave Toub crafting a strategy built around precise, low-driving kicks to limit return yardage.
“Butker‘s gonna be our main kickoff guy, I mean, hands down,” Toub said during training camp. “Because he can move the ball and do a lot of different things, he’s our most talented kickoff guy.”
Chiefs influence yet another NFL rule with first down tech upgrade
Butker‘s latest remarks arrive at a time when the Chiefs have once again helped spark significant regulatory changes in the NFL.
The league recently announced it will introduce Hawk-Eye technology-the same system used in tennis and soccer-for first down measurements beginning in the 2025 regular season.
This shift comes after a controversial moment in the 2024 AFC Championship Game, where Kansas City stopped Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills on a pivotal fourth-and-short.
The absence of clear replay evidence prompted backlash and further scrutiny of the outdated chain-based system. The NFL’s response: replace it with a more accurate digital solution.
This isn’t the first time Kansas City has altered the NFL’s trajectory. Their dramatic playoff win over Buffalo in 2021 led to an overhaul of the overtime rules.
Their early embrace of the new kickoff system positioned them as special teams pioneers. Now, the first-down tech revamp adds another notch to the Chiefs’ belt of influence.
So when Butker jokes that kickers should get bonus points and protection strong enough to land opponents “jail time” for hitting them-“Okay, I’ll take that,” he deadpanned-it might seem far-fetched.
But recent history suggests that when someone from Kansas City speaks up, the league often listens.
With a career leg that’s helped define the NFL’s modern kicking era and a team that continues to shape its rules, Butker‘s fantasy of a one-point kickoff may not be as absurd as it sounds.
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