Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker booted a 69-yard field goal on the final play of the second quarter in Kansas City’s preseason game at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026 — a kick longer than the NFL’s official regular-season record. It still won’t count in the league’s record book, and the Chiefs lost the game anyway.
Key facts
- Kicker: Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs
- Distance: 69 yards
- Date: Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026
- Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, in a preseason game against the Buccaneers
- Why it doesn’t count: preseason kicks aren’t eligible for the NFL’s official record book
- NFL regular-season record: 68 yards, set by Cam Little on Nov. 2, 2025
- Longest field goal ever made (any NFL game): 70 yards, an unofficial kick by Cam Little in the 2025 preseason
- Final score: Buccaneers 16, Chiefs 15 — Kansas City’s second straight preseason loss
The 69-yard kick
The kick came at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, with three seconds left before halftime, after Tampa Bay’s offense had failed to convert a fourth down near midfield. Butker’s field goal cleared the crossbar and gave the Chiefs a 9-0 lead at the break.
Why it’s not an official record
The NFL’s official regular-season long field goal record is 68 yards. Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little set that mark on Nov. 2, 2025, against the Las Vegas Raiders, breaking Justin Tucker’s previous record of 66 yards from 2021. Butker’s kick beat that by a yard — but because it happened in a preseason game, it isn’t eligible for the NFL’s official record book, which only counts regular-season kicks.
Not the longest field goal ever kicked
Butker’s kick also wasn’t the longest field goal ever kicked in an NFL game of any kind: in the 2025 preseason, Little himself boomed an unofficial 70-yard field goal against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which remains the longest field goal made in any NFL game, preseason or regular season.
By distance alone, Butker’s 69-yarder does match one other mark: a college-football kick by Abilene Christian’s Ove Johansson, who made a 69-yard field goal in 1976. But no single record book combines college and pro kicks, or preseason and regular-season attempts, into one ranking. That comparison is informal, not official.
Why kicks are getting longer
The kick also landed in the middle of a wider conversation about why NFL field goals have been traveling farther in recent seasons. The broader debate also includes the NFL’s dynamic kickoff rule. A rule change that took effect in 2025 already lets teams practice with up to 60 “K-balls,” instead of relying only on fresh, unhandled balls on game day. Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said, “The way they have changed the ball, the NFL has drastically changed the field goals,” while coaches including Cincinnati Bengals special-teams coordinator Darrin Simmons have pointed to the rule as a reason long kicks have gotten more accurate league-wide — attempts of 60-plus yards went from 4 makes on 14 tries in 2024 to 12 makes on 22 tries in 2025. Fangio has gone further, arguing the league should look again at the rule now that it’s had this effect, though that remains a debate among coaches and analysts, not an NFL position.
How the Chiefs lost anyway
Despite the highlight, Kansas City lost the game 16-15. Butker also made a 58-yard field goal earlier in the first half.
Chiefs running back Emmett Johnson scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter, extending Kansas City’s lead — but Butker missed the extra point after a penalty wiped out his first, successful attempt, and the re-kick hit the right upright.
Buccaneers rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels — an undrafted free agent from Kansas, according to CBS Sports — then led three second-half scoring drives:
- A 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ko Kieft
- A 46-yard field goal by B.T. Potter
- A go-ahead 1-yard touchdown run by Sean Tucker
Late in the fourth quarter, Butker missed a 43-yard field goal, wide right, that would have put the Chiefs back in front. The comeback handed Kansas City its second straight preseason loss and improved Tampa Bay to 2-0.
Butker and Reid react
Butker downplayed the long kick afterward, saying the misses were what stuck with him. “You’ve got to make your kicks. Miss an extra point, miss a game-winner. That’s what I care about, not the 69-yarder or whatever it was,” he said. Chiefs coach Andy Reid publicly stood behind his kicker rather than criticizing him, saying he trusted Butker to learn from the misses and pointing to the important kicks he’s made for the team in the past.
Sources and further reading
- Chiefs Fall to Buccaneers, 16-15, in Preseason Matchup
- Jaguars kicker Cam Little booms 70-yard field goal vs. Steelers
- Johansson’s 69-yard kick returns to limelight with NFL record-breaker
- Jaguars kicker Cam Little sets NFL record with 68-yard field goal
- 69-yard Field Goal! Harrison Butker Goes Long Distance vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Buccaneers Defeat Kansas City Chiefs 16-15 in Preseason Week 2
- TOUCHDOWN! Kansas City Chiefs running back Emmett Johnson Scores a Rushing Touchdown vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers