When the 2023 season ended, there was no reason to think that the Kansas City Chiefs would have a new punter going into 2024. However, the team decided to take a gamble at the position this year, and it’s a bet that might actually pay off.
After the season ended, the Chiefs decided to sign Matt Araiza and then they followed that up by letting Tommy Townsend’s contract expire, which effectively gave the starting punting job to the player known as “Punt God.” It was somewhat surprising to see the Chiefs let Townsend walk considering he had been one of the better punters in the NFL during his four seasons with the team, which included a first-team All-Pro nod in 2022.
It was also a risky move because Araiza has never played in a regular-season game and he hasn’t been in an NFL training camp since 2022. That was the year he was drafted by the Bills, but he was cut in August 2022 after being named in a civil lawsuit where he was accused of being involved in a gang-rape. However, his legal situation took a turn in his favor over the next 18 months. Police in San Diego announced in December 2022 that Araiza wouldn’t be charged with any crime. In December 2023, the woman who filed the original lawsuit decided to drop Araiza’s name from the suit and the Chiefs ended up signing him just two months later.
In his first training camp with the Chiefs, Araiza has been launching bombs, like the kick you see below, which traveled 75 yards in the air.
Even Chiefs coach Andy Reid has been impressed by his new punter, but he still wants to see how Araiza handles things in a game.
“You can see it. He’s booming the thing,” Reid said, via Kansas.com. “Will be curious to see in games. We’ll see how he does there.”
After two weeks of camp, Araiza feels like he’s only gotten better.
“I feel like I’ve been punting really well,” Araiza said, via ESPN.com. “I’ve continued to grow. That’s probably my favorite part is, Day 1 here versus now, I’m continuing to get better, so I’m looking forward to that. Just continued growth.”
During his two years out of the NFL, Araiza wasn’t sure if he’d ever make it back.
“There were times that I didn’t and there were times that I did,” Araiza said, via KMBC.com. “Honestly, it kept going back and forth in my mind. Yeah, there were a lot of moments where I thought it was over. I’m incredibly grateful to be here.”
Araiza is currently the only punter on the Chiefs roster, which tells you all you need to know: Kansas City clearly feels confident giving him the job despite his two years out of football.
In his second NFL training camp, Araiza has made sure to soak it all in.
“Definitely going to take it all in,” Araiza said. “Like I said, I’m just grateful for the opportunity and grateful to get back to that moment because that is my favorite thing: being out there in a pressure situation, in a game, with a rush, pads on, everything. I think that’s when I’m at my best, so I can’t wait to get back out there.”
One big advantage to having Araiza — besides his booming punts — is the fact that he’s left-footed. Patriots coach Bill Belichick used a left-footed punter almost exclusively during his time in New England, and now, Reid has one in Kansas City. The ball comes off the foot differently with a lefty, which can make it harder for a returner to track.
“Especially when the ball starts moving, it’ll tail at the last second, and guys who aren’t used to lefties, sometimes they’re not even close to it,” Araiza said. “They’re like five yards away.”
Araiza earned the nickname “Punt God” in college because of his ability to regularly get off booming kicks. Not only did he lead the nation in punting average with an FBS-record 51.4 yards per punt in 2021, but he also had six punts of at least 70 yards that year, which was the most in the country.
The “Punt God” does have one NFL kick under his belt, and that came during the preseason in 2022 when he smashed an 82-YARD PUNT for the Bills.
If Araiza can kick as well in games as he’s been kicking in practice, then their gamble on him is going to pay off in a big way. The Chiefs will be hoping they can use their new secret weapon to help them win their third straight Super Bowl.
