Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs made a 69-yard field goal attempt late in the second half of a preseason matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday night. The kick, which cleared the crossbar and struck the net behind the uprights, exceeded the current NFL record of 68 yards held by Cam Little. However, the field goal will not be recognized in the official record book because preseason games do not count toward NFL statistics.
Butker’s opportunity came after the Chiefs’ defense forced a turnover on downs. With under 10 seconds remaining in the second quarter and the Buccaneers facing a fourth-and-5 from Kansas City’s 49-yard line, Tampa Bay chose to attempt a conversion. The effort failed when quarterback Jake Browning threw an incomplete pass, allowing the Chiefs to take over with minimal time left. Andy Reid opted to send Butker onto the field for the long-distance attempt. The kicker connected on three total field goals in the game against Tampa Bay, including kicks from 58 and 45 yards, though he also missed a 43-yard attempt in the fourth quarter during Kansas City’s 16-15 loss.
Historically, Butker’s 69-yarder ranks among the longest field goals in football. Since 1869, only three kickers have made field goals of at least 69 yards in game competition: Cam Little hit a 70-yarder during the 2025 preseason, Butker matched his 69-yard effort on Saturday, and Abilene Christian’s Ove Johansson made a 69-yard kick in 1976. Little later broke the official NFL record by making a 68-yarder last November, followed by a 67-yarder in Week 18, giving him the two longest authenticated field goals in league history.
Kickers have achieved greater distances in recent years partly due to a rule change implemented last season. The NFL introduced new K-ball procedures allowing teams to condition 60 kicking footballs throughout the season rather than receiving three brand new balls on game day with roughly one hour to prepare them. The practice of breaking in footballs before games, along with smoothing surface bumps, has allowed kickers to make better contact and achieve improved distance. According to reports from the previous season, the new regulation added between five and 10 yards to most kickers’ performances.
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