Chiefs Sign Punter Matt Araiza as Tommy Townsend’s Successor
Photo Credit: Adrian Kraus, Associated Press
The Kansas City Chiefs made their first signing of the offseason on Thursday, signing punter Matt Araiza. The move comes after Araiza was recently cleared of his legal troubles in December, allowing him to pursue an NFL career once again.
Araiza, the 2021 Ray Guy Award winner, showed his potential in the 2022 preseason with the Buffalo Bills when he kicked a ball that traveled nearly 80 yards in the air before bouncing at the 10-yard line and rolling into the end zone for a touchback. He showed that he was ready to be one of the best punters in the league before legal allegations derailed the start of the career.
At the end of the 2022 preseason, Araiza and two of his teammates at San Diego State had rape allegations made against them. The Bills cut Araiza the day after, and it seemed that his football career was over.
All the legal troubles dealing with Araiza and the rape case were dropped on December 12, 2023. With that happening at the same time as the season was ending, not many people paid too much attention to it, but now with the smoke clearing, the Chiefs made sure to get their guy before anyone else did. Their current punter, Tommy Townsend, is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He was a first-team All-Pro player in 2022.
Araiza, nicknamed as the “Punt God” during his time at SDSU, was one of the greatest punters in the history of college football. He averaged 51.2 yards per punt in that 2021 season, where he was named the Ray Guy winner and was named as a unanimous first-team All-American.
This signing is a great pickup for Kansas City if Araiza is still the same punter he was back in 2022. Being able to save money in this position instead of paying Townsend will allow them to spend more money elsewhere, whether it be on someone new or trying to retain Chris Jones or L’Jarius Sneed. Townsend will be a very coveted target in free agency for a team looking to bolster their special teams.
