Harrison Butker Jokes Are Rolling In As Chiefs Mull Benching Him For Kickoff Duties Due To New NFL Rules

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker has been the subject of controversy for his recent masculinity-fueled commencement speech. While Butker does have his fair share of supporters when it comes to his views — not to mention the folks who think he deserves the freedom of speech to voice his opinions regardless of others' feelings — he has many, many detractors. That loud crowd was out in full force when news dropped Thursday that Butker might not be on kickoff duties all the time in 2024. Speaking to the media, Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub alluded to how the new kickoff rules could create a lot more explosive plays, and how the return team will be at a huge advantage. Thus, having an extra tackler on the field, such as capable-kicking Kansas City safety Justin Reid, would give the reigning back-to-back Super Bowl champs another critical edge. https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1796249013563359425 https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1796254885458932155 As if the Chiefs don't have enough going for them. The best quarterback-head coach combo in Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. Taylor Swift's boyfriend and GOAT pass-catching tight end Travis Kelce. An exceptional young defense with an elite coordinator in Steve Spagnuolo. Now, a potential X-factor ace on the kickoff unit in Justin Reid, no relation to the coach. Given how minimal (if situationally critical) Butker's function is to the grand scheme of his football team, it has to be a little emasculating to receive such a demotion. If you think about it, the implication here is that Buker's manhood is in question. Can he not handle a little contact? A little bit of tackling? Maybe he's just not build for that. I'm kidding, of course. Preserving a kicker's health is key if you want someone you trust lining up a potential winning field goal. For whatever you think of his personal opinions, Butker is an outstanding placekicker who connected on 33 of 35 field goals last season, and nailed all 38 of his PATs. Dude was a perfect 11-for-11 and 8-for-8 in those respective categories during the playoffs, too. Good oversight by the Chiefs to put Butker in bubble wrap, rather than tossing him in harm's way with much faster, stronger guys barreling toward him. You know at least some of them would have a little extra juice if they got a shot to truck stick him in the open field. The only other team I can think of who could deploy this tactic is the Miami Dolphins. Newly signed wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. can kick the crap out of the ball. Problem is, he's super injury-prone as is, so keeping Jason Sanders intact at the expense of another possible OBJ injury may not be worth the risk. Back to Butker, though. Hope you get a kick out of these jokes as much as I did. https://twitter.com/rodger/status/1796256418854502430 https://twitter.com/49ersSpin/status/1796264450615337350 https://twitter.com/Zach_Segars/status/1796257453753122974 https://twitter.com/CadeBuffalow/status/1796258990508360020 https://twitter.com/KVanValkenburg/status/1796267052581224606 https://twitter.com/erikbeimfohr/status/1796249834346922025 https://twitter.com/jeffisrael25/status/1796261593447010657 https://twitter.com/EricLiIIy/status/1796250182130221267 https://twitter.com/gggsteiner/status/1796250818397499572 https://twitter.com/TheReal_Pino/status/1796250095303917607 https://twitter.com/HeismansIG/status/1796249335526474116