Harrison Butker Details ‘Tough’ Injury and Recovery This Season

Over the course of his first five seasons, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker had cemented his status as one of the most reliable and consistent players at his position. Behind Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens, perhaps no other kicker was held in higher regard leaguewide than Butker. After all, he drilled 90.1% of his field goal attempts from 2017-2021 and had both the leg strength and accuracy to get the job done at a very high level on a yearly basis.

Butker said this week, less than 10 days before Kansas City squares off against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII, that he had a tremendous offseason and was looking forward to having a big year. He kicked just 28 field goals in 2021, drilling 25 of them, and saw his extra point conversion rate increase from 88.9% in 2020 to 95.9% in year No. 5. By all accounts, he was prepared to keep that momentum going in 2022-23.

Then, in a season-opening contest at State Farm Stadium against the Arizona Cardinals, Butker suffered an ankle sprain that led to him missing multiple weeks. 

Upon returning to action in Week 6, Butker went 2-for-3 on field goals against the Buffalo Bills. He went 0-for-1 the following week, then 2-for-3 again coming out of the bye. From Weeks 10-17, he made 91.7% of his extra point attempts and hit 80% of his field goals. Something still seemed off, though. Since then, Butker hasn't missed. He's 9-for-9 on extra points and 6-for-6 on field goals in his last three games, including a game-winner against the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game. According to Butker, the changes he made after the injury are finally starting to help him settle back in.

"I had to make some adjustments technique-wise because you’re not going to feel the same, it’s going to take some time to get the mobility again and get the strength again, so I’ve made some small changes and I feel like I’ve really ironed those out," Butker said. "And I’ve been in a good rhythm the past couple of games, but you have to be able to face adversity and make adjustments, and that was the first time in my career where I really had to do that because I do pride myself on having everything kind of figured out going into training camp and then I’m kind of on autopilot."

As Butker mentioned, this is the first time he's faced a serious injury in his career. He's used to staying healthy, not having to tweak his process much and then subsequently producing once game day rolls around. This season, things were different. He had to fight through legitimate adversity.

Butker's pre-season process was fine, but it got thrown off once Week 1 was underway. Additionally, he and special teams coordinator Dave Toub both admitted earlier this season that the 27-year-old may not return to 100% again until the offseason or the start of the 2023 campaign. Butker believes he's kicking the ball as accurately as he was before the injury, although this level of proficiency didn't come without some serious mental and physical hurdles along the way. 

“It’s definitely tough," Butker said. "That was the first time I’ve had a major injury and you’re not traveling with the team for away games. I’m sitting at the house for home games with my children watching it on TV. It’s a very odd feeling, but I tried to attack every day. I didn’t want to think long-term. There were some days where you’re looking outside at practice and you’re seeing whoever it is kicking — one of the Matts (Matthew Wright or Matt Ammendola) — and it hurts because you’re like, ‘Man, I wish I could go out there and kick. I love to kick. I love doing that and I can’t. I don’t know when I’ll be able to do that.’

"So I tried not to think about when I can come back, when my ankle will be better, if it will ever be back to where it was before the injury. And I just tried to focus on day-by-day getting it better. And it’s pretty amazing now that I am kicking to look back and think about how messed up my ankle was and what that injury was — to think now I’m kicking again. So it’s a blessing to be able to do what I’m doing, but it was definitely tough — first time I’ve faced an injury.”

It remains to be seen whether Butker is actually back to his old self, but the returns on his performance are beginning to take a serious turn for the positive side. As a result, a Chiefs special teams unit that was a source of struggle and shortcomings earlier in the season is now far from a liability. The process of snapping, holding and kicking appears to be more fluid, and Butker is kicking with the same confidence the team has grown to expect out of him. He thanks God for that, and he's hard at work making sure that he can continue stepping up when his name is called in the final game of the year — a game played on the same field where all of this started.

"The AFC Championship Game was probably the biggest kick of my career – it always happens to be the playoff games where they’re game-tying or game-winning kicks," Butker said. "And to be able to make that through was obviously thanks to God for allowing the kick to go through. I know it sounds weird, but I always pray for God’s will to be done. So whether that’s a make or a miss, if I’m doing my absolute best to maximize the talents that he gave me, if it doesn’t go in, I’m going to keep the process and keep going as much as I can until I’m not kicking footballs anymore. But yeah, it was a great feeling for that ball to go through and, obviously, my head’s down, I’m grinding every day now to get ready for the Super Bowl."