The Kansas City Chiefs have a new punter for the 2024 season. With Tommy Townsend set to become an unrestricted free agent, General Manager Brett Veach added a former Ray Guy Award winner.
Last summer Kansas City Chiefs Punter, Tommy Townsend switched agents in hopes of becoming the highest paid at his position. To do so, he enlisted the infamous, Drew Rosenhous. Known for getting top dollar for his clients, the Chiefs went another direction by signing former Buffalo Bills Kicker, Matt Araiza.
If that name sounds familiar, Araiza was a 2022 sixth round pick out of San Diego Stat. However, his NFL career was derailed after an accusation surfaced of an incident with a 17-year old girl in California. The former Aztec was never charged, and his countersuit claiming defamation of character was withdrawn. With teams nervous about the outcome of the court proceedings which ended in December, he missed the entire 2023 NFL season.
Though Araiza had a brief tryout with the New York Jets last summer after his release from Buffalo, he will make his NFL debut in a Chiefs uniform this season after a two year wait.
Though Townsend struggled his first two years in the Kansas City, he found his groove the last two seasons to become an All Pro Punter. The Chiefs have a plethora of free agents, and it’s likely Araiza signed for the NFL minimum. He’s excited for the opportunity in Kansas City.
“I am proud and honored to sign a contract with the Chiefs” Araiza said in a statement released through agent, Joe Linta. “I am thrilled to be able to continue my NFL career. I want to thank my family, who have been my rock and my many friends who have been unwavering in their support. I am excited to begin the next phase of my career with the Super Bowl Champs!”
In other news, the Kansas City Chiefs signed former Las Vegas Raiders Safety, Tyree Gillespie. The former 2021 fourth-round pick was on the Chiefs practice squad in December before being released in January.
