Chiefs Make Move to Re-Sign 24-Year-Old Starter Before Free Agency: Report

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The Kansas City Chiefs have tendered punter Matt Araiza ahead of NFL free agency.

The Kansas City Chiefs have made a move to retain starting punter and holder Matt Araiza ahead of 2025 NFL free agency, per NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero.

“The Chiefs have tendered punter Matt Araiza, an exclusive rights free agent,” Pelissero reported on March 7. Adding: “The tender is worth $960,000.”

According to A-to-Z Sports Kansas City reporter Nick Roesch, “Araiza is an exclusive rights free agent because he has accrued less than three seasons in the NFL.” And this tender secures him for the 2025 campaign.

Kansas City took a chance on the 24-year-old former sixth-round pick that saw his career halted by legal issues. In December of 2023, Araiza was “dropped from a lawsuit filed by a woman who alleged she was raped by San Diego State University football players in 2021,” according to the Associated Press.

Later, upon signing with the Chiefs, Araiza sent out the following message on X, via his player agency JL Sports: “I am proud and honored to sign a contract with the @Chiefs. 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. [And] I am excited to begin the next phase of my career with the Super Bowl Champs!”

Matt Araiza’s First Chiefs Season Ranks Middle of the Pack, With Room for Improvement

If you compare Araiza’s 2024 season with other punters around the league, you’ll notice some clear pros and cons.

On the bright side, Araiza has one of the stronger legs in the game. His longest punt (72 yards) of last year ranked ninth in the NFL. And his average gross yardage per punt ranked 10th at 48.8 yards per punt.

Araiza also forced 21 fair catches, which ranked ninth.

In terms of potential areas of improvement, Araiza’s 25 punts that were downed inside the 20-yard line only ranked middle of the pack — as did his average net yardage of 41.8 yards per punt.

This stems from a lack of touch, where Araiza sometimes gives the ball too much leg rather than giving it more hang-time or placing it somewhere his gunners can get to it.

One example of this is Araiza’s touchback numbers in 2024. The Chiefs punter had 9 touchbacks last season, which was tied for the league lead (in a negative way).

Araiza was not blocked in 2024, and he did not kick any of his punts out of bounds — which can be both good and bad, depending on the situation.

Of note, Cincinnati Bengals punter Ryan Rehkow — who briefly competed with Araiza for the KC job last year — outperformed the Chiefs punter in most areas in 2024, but not by much. It seems Kansas City had two pro-ready punters in the building when they held that short but competitive minicamp battle.

Chiefs Tender ERFA Mike Caliendo Ahead of NFL Free Agency

Not long after the Araiza news, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reported that the “Chiefs have placed the exclusive rights tender on guard Mike Caliendo, who started down the stretch for Kansas City, per source.”

Caliendo could factor into the starting left guard competition following the Joe Thuney trade. He filled the role down the stretch for KC, with mixed results, but some believe 2024 second rounder Kingsley Suamataia is being groomed for Thuney’s old starting job — and don’t forget about 2024 fifth rounder Hunter Nourzad, a prospect the Chiefs saw as a potential starter on the interior when they selected him last spring.

Kansas City should have a healthy training camp competition between those three and 2024 seventh rounder C.J. Hanson. Perhaps, KC general manager Brett Veach brings in outside competition for the role as well, considering how much he values the play of his offensive line.

Michael Obermuller covers the NFL and NHL for Heavy.com, where he began writing in 2021. His areas of focus include the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins, as well as the New York Rangers and New York Islanders. An NYC area native and Quinnipiac graduate, his previous bylines include FanDuel’s The Duel, King Fantasy Sports and Pro Football Mania. More about Michael Obermuller