Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid better watch out, because an unexpected player may be coming for one of Reid's other jobs.
The Chiefs signed free agent punter Matt Araiza on Thursday, with many speculating that he'll be the replacement for Tommy Townsend, who is set to enter free agency in March.
Araiza, who played for the Buffalo Bills in 2022, was an incredible punter in college at San Diego State. Although he was drafted as a punter, he had one other job in college as well: kicker. And he was a decent one, too, going 96-for-97 on extra points and 50-for-68 on field goals.
Of course, even if Araiza earns the starting punter gig for the Chiefs, he definitely won't be earning a starting kicker job over Harrison Butker, who is one of the best at his job in the NFL. However, Araiza may earn backup kicking duties, which means Reid's days as the team's emergency kicker could be numbered.
The backup kicker role isn't a job that gets called on often given that kickers rarely get injured, but when he was needed, Reid was up for the challenge. Reid stepped in as a surprise emergency kicker for Butker in one game in 2022, making one of two extra points and kicking off seven times.
With Araiza in the mix, Reid's services as emergency kicker may no longer be required. Though, it looks like Reid doesn't plan to go down without a fight, at least according to the man himself.
It's doubtful that anyone had "backup kicker controversy" on their Chiefs offseason bingo card, but here we are.
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