The Kansas City Chiefs will be without a critical member of their offense for the next few weeks.
According to multiple reports, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker is going to miss 3-4 weeks with a left knee injury. He’ll be placed on short-term injured reserve. The 29-year-old special teamer will reportedly have surgery to repair as well.
“#Chiefs K Harrison Butker is expected to have surgery to trim his meniscus in his left knee,” said NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. “That’s why he’s headed to IR, though he’ll be back for the home stretch and playoffs.”
Butker made all three field goal attempts and his lone extra point try in Kansas City’s 16-14 win over the Denver Broncos last week. On the season, he is 18-of-20 on field goals and 21-of-22 on extra points.
To replace Butker, Kansas City will reportedly pluck Spencer Shrader off the New York Jets’ practice squad. A former kicker for South Florida and Notre Dame in college, Shrader was promoted to New York’s active roster last week and made both field goal attempts in a 31-6 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Shrader also kicked in one game for the Indianapolis Colts earlier this season, going 3-for-3 on extra points.
Kansas City is 9-0 on the season, the only remaining undefeated team in the league. They will face their stiffest test yet this Sunday, taking on the 8-2 Buffalo Bills on the road (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS).
Getting back to Butker, who is in his eighth season with the Chiefs, the 2019 NFL scoring leader sparked controversy this offseason with the commencement address he gave at Benedictine College.
During his remarks, Butker shared his thoughts on women in the workforce while also criticizing President Joe Biden and his response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the LGBTQ community, among other topics.
This season, Butker has kept out of the spotlight, though he did officially endorse Republican president-elect Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
Related: Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker Announces His Political Move