Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker could lose one job for a completely unexpected reason

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker could be losing one of his jobs, and it has nothing to do with cancel culture or the woke mob.

Butker, who came under fire for his regressive commencement speech earlier this month at Benedictine College, has been backed by his team in the wake of his controversial comments, even as some people have called for him to be suspended or cut.

Patrick Mahomes called Butker "a great guy," though he was careful to distance himself from Butker's views by saying, "There's certain things that he said that I don't necessarily agree with." Andy Reid made light of the situation, telling reporters that Butker "has his opinions and we all respect that," then joking, "I let you guys in this room and you have a lot of opinions that I don’t like."

While Butker has become a political lightning rod, and has even doubled down on his comments recently it's not his speech or his views that could affect his role with the team. Instead, it's the new kickoff rule that the NFL is implementing on a one-year trial basis for this upcoming season.

The rule, which is designed to make the kickoff a relevant part of the game again in lieu of the touchback-fest it has become in recent years, was inspired by the XFL model. Most fans don't yet realize how drastic a rule change this is, though (click here for an explanation), and NFL teams are currently scheming the best way to approach it.

Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub, long thought to be one of the best special teams minds in the game, suggested that the team is considering an innovation that no one saw coming: not always using their kicker on kickoffs.

The NFL's new kickoff rule could have unintended consequences

It seems like an insane idea to not have your placekicker on the field during kickoffs, but Toub is thinking outside the box in a way that could actually make a lot of sense. Butker has been one of the most clutch playoff kickers of all-time, and his value in end-of-game situations with the game tied or the Chiefs trailing far surpasses any value he could bring as a kickoff specialist under the new rule.

As Toub points out, kickers will now be far more involved in tackling, which could result in more injuries for players that typically don't have the size and strength of other players on the field. Replacing Butker with someone like Justin Reid (a safety) will not only protect Butker, but will give the Chiefs an advantage in preventing big returns.

Reid has in-game experience handling kicks, as he filled in for an injured Butker two years ago against the Cardinals. In that game, he made one of two extra points and did quite well on seven kickoffs, which is why Toub might trust him enough to give this idea a try. From Butker's point of view, having Reid take kickoffs, even if only sparingly, could keep him healthy and allow him to focus more on field goals and speechwriting.

Most teams don't have a non-kicker on the roster that can be trusted to handle kickoffs, which makes the Chiefs a unique test case for this particular idea. This surely won't be the only way that NFL coaches innovate on the new rule, though, and it will be fascinating to see what teams come up with.