How much longer can the Chiefs trust Harrison Butker at kicker?

The Chiefs have a Harrison Butker problem. In every game so far this season, the kicker has made a mistake. He has missed at least one kick, whether it be an extra point or field goal, in each of the first four games.

Against Jacksonville in Week 5, Butker was perfect on his field goal and extra point attempts. Though, arguably his greatest error of the season came late against the Jaguars. Butker booted a kickoff out of bounds just after the Chiefs took a 28-24 lead with a Kareem Hunt touchdown.

A touchback, if it had landed in the landing zone, would have only been a five-yard difference for Jacksonville's starting field position. Yet, that error gave the Jaguars an added boost of momentum as they were looking to drive for a game-winning touchdown.

Harrison Butker did not have much success with his directional kickoffs on Monday night overall. Jacksonville already had two great returns out near its own 40-yard line before that kick out of bounds. Sure, the results on those earlier returns may not all be pinned on Butker. At some point, the Chiefs have to make a tackle before the returner gets rolling.

How realistic is it to think the Chiefs would make a move at kicker before season's end?

Through five games, Butker is 10-for-13 on field goal attempts. The most misses he has in one season there is six. Therefore, his pace is well ahead of that career-worst mark (2022). Meanwhile, the Chiefs’ kicker is 11-for-13 on extra point attempts. In that category, his career-worst mark also includes six misses. Butker finished just 48-for-54 on extra points in 2020.

Would Kansas City seriously consider making a kicker change this season? As of now, that seems unlikely. Butker has plenty of past clutch moments to lean on in his Chiefs tenure. His distance is still largely there. Additionally, Butker has seen his mistakes pop up earlier in games, outside of the kick out of bounds on Monday. His field goal misses have been early or in the middle of contests.

It will likely take more and more errors for Butker to lose his job this season. The Chiefs do have an intriguing distinction surrounding the kicker spot around the league, though. In terms of total contract value, average annual salary, total guaranteed money, and fully guaranteed money, Butker is tops in the league at his position. Kansas City is certainly not getting top-shelf results, given what they are paying for.

In general, the special teams results have been from poor to average for K.C. early this season. That is even more disappointing when looking at the role of Dave Toub. He is not just the special teams coordinator. Toub is also listed as the assistant head coach. Plus, it has been well documented how much of an influence he holds over roster decisions. The Chiefs often take Toub's input into consideration when choosing the final names that make the cut for the initial 53-man roster.

For now, Harrison Butker is going to make fans continually hold their breath until he shows consistency. If the Chiefs actually were to move on, it feels like that would occur more likely in the offseason.