Harrison Butker contract details: Chiefs make controversial special-teamer highest-paid kicker in NFL

It's been an eventful few months for Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, who stirred controversy with comments he made in a commencement speech in May. In the fallout, some even demanded that Butker be released. Monday's news put to rest any speculation about a change in the near future.

Kansas City signed Butker to a contract extension a month before the team's season-opener against the Ravens, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport , locking in a special-teamer who helped win three Super Bowls.

Butker confirmed the deal in a tweet shortly after the news broke.

Butker was brought in by the Chiefs in early 2017 after he was cut by the Panthers, and the quiet move turned out to be one of the best decisions Kansas City could have made. Butker is one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history, and he was effectively automatic in the playoffs last season with an 11-for-11 showing on field goal attempts; Butker of 6-of-7 from at least 50 yards out in his playoff career.

Here are the details on Butker's new contract and where it places him among the NFL's highest-paid kickers.

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Harrison Butker contract details

Butker agreed to a four-year, $25.6 million contract extension with $17.75 million guaranteed on Monday. The deal runs through 2028.

At $6.4 million per year, Butker becomes the highest-paid kicker in the NFL. It's a significant increase from his current average of $4.06 million per year on a deal signed back in 2019.

All Butker has done since 2019 is become a key cog in what has morphed into a Chiefs dynasty. Kansas City was just coming off Mahomes' first season as a starter when Butker signed his last contract, but it was clear the Chiefs were likely to be playoff regulars in the years ahead — and they trusted Butker's leg to rise to the occasion in those key moments.

Butker had an inconsistent 2022 season, due partly to an injury that sidelined him for four games, but he erased all doubts by getting healthy late in the year and kicking the game-winning field goal in Super Bowl 57. Butker responded with a stellar 2023 season, making 33-of-35 regular-season attempts and going a perfect 11-of-11 in the playoffs.

While Butker found himself at the center of a media firestorm for controversial comments he made about women and the LGBTQ+ community, among other topics, during Benedictine College's graduation ceremony in May, his teammates, including Mahomes and Travis Kelce , were quick to support the kicker's right to speak his mind. Both referred to Butker as their friend.

Kelce might not be around for the duration of Butker's extension, but Mahomes, in all likelihood, will. Already two of the Chiefs' longest-tenured players behind Kelce and Chris Jones, the pair will aim for more championships in the years ahead.

Highest-paid kickers in NFL

Butker becomes the first kicker in NFL history to exceed $6 million per year, jumping ahead of Jake Elliott and Justin Tucker to become the league's highest-paid player at the position.