Chiefs Placing K Harrison Butker On IR With Knee Injury, Signing K Spencer Shrader Off Jets PS

According to Tom Pelissero, the Chiefs are placing K Harrison Butker on injured reserve with a knee injury. 

Ian Rapoport adds Butker needed a meniscus trim, but should be back for the home stretch and the playoffs. 

The prognosis for the injury was three to four weeks, so four weeks on injured reserve should be enough time for Butker to heal up. 

In the meantime, Kansas City is signing K Spencer Shrader off the Jets’ practice squad to their active roster to be their kicker, per Adam Schefter. 

It’s worth noting players signed off another team’s practice squad must remain on the active roster for at least three weeks. 

Butker, 29, is a former seventh-round pick of Panthers back in 2018 out of Georgia Tech. He signed a four-year, $2.48 million contract with the Panthers but was waived coming out of the preseason and later signed to their practice squad. 

The Chiefs would add Butker to their active roster before bringing him back on an exclusive rights contract. He signed a five-year, $20.3 million extension with the team in 2019.  

Heading into the 2024 season, Butker signed another four-year, $25.6 million extension. 

In 2024, Butker has appeared in nine games for the Chiefs and made 18 of 20 field goal attempts (90 percent) and 20 of 21 extra points. 

Shrader, 25, signed with Indianapolis as an UDFA out of Notre Dame following the 2024 NFL Draft. The Colts waived him after camp before bringing him back on the practice squad and he bounced on and off the unit a few times before catching on with the Jets practice squad.  

In his collegiate career, Shrader appeared in 57 games for South Florida and Notre Dame where he made 43 of his 63 field goals (68.3 percent) and 61 of 62 extra point attempts (98.7 percent).

In 2024, Shrader has appeared in one game for the Colts and one game for the Jets, converting both of his field goal attempts and all three of his extra-point attempts.