Getty Former Chiefs punter Tommy Townsend on September 11, 2022.
The Kansas City Chiefs are working hard to push for a Super Bowl three-peat. While the Chiefs retained several key starters, punter Tommy Townsend walked in free agency.
The writing was on the wall after Kansas City moved to sign Matt Araiza less than two weeks after becoming back-to-back champions. Townsend, who earned First-Team All-Pro honors in 2022, didn’t remain jobless for long.
The 27-year-old, who joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2020, signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the Houston Texans in March. Townsend returned to Kansas City to support Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce‘s second annual musical festival on May 18. Speaking to Fox 4 KC’s Harold R. Kuntz, Townsend called returning to Kansas City “incredible.”
Standing outside the Azura Amphitheater, “It’s become a second home to me,” Townsend said. “Coming back here the past couple of weeks, I’m really going to miss it. KC was great. Chiefs Kingdom is amazing. I’m just going to miss my teammates and friends in KC. But it’s part of the business, so I’m excited for everything moving forward.”
Spotted at Kelce Jam .. former #Chiefs Punter Tommy Townsend. He’s happy to be back in KC to hang out with former teammates . He doesn’t want to rule out coming back, but excited going forward with Houston, especially coming back to Arrowhead in December.
While the Chiefs re-signed defensive tackle Chris Jones and restructured Kelce’s contract this offseason, Townsend acknowledged that only a handful of players get to play for the Chiefs on a perennial basis. However, he didn’t shut the door on a possible return.
“It’s really hard to be with the same team your whole career,” he said. “So, I’m grateful for my time in Kansas City and I never want to rule out not coming back. That’s something I would love to do eventually.”
Last season, Townsend punted 59 times for 2,776 yards, averaging 47.1 yards per punt. During his four-year tenure with the Chiefs, 40.8% of his punts were down/fair caught inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. On fake punts, he completed 3 passes for a total of 40 yards.
Texans Punter Tommy Townsend Is ‘Excited’ To Face the Chiefs During the 2024 NFL Season
GettyFormer Chiefs punter Tommy Townsend at Allegiant Stadium on November 26, 2023.
“I’m excited for things going forward with Houston and we will see how everything goes,” Townsend said of his new team. The Florida alum is also pumped to take on his former team as an opponent.
After the NFL’s schedule release, Townsend circled Week 16, as the Texans are scheduled to travel to Arrowhead on December 21. “I am excited to come back to KC in December and play here and get a typical cold weather Kansas City game. So, I’m excited for that, see everybody and play against all the boys.”
Chiefs Kingdom got emotional hearing how Townsend spoke of his former team and city. One fan posted, “Love Tommy and was so sorry to see him leave, but man, he went to a great team. Texans going to be really tough.” Another person wrote, “Tommy will always be one of my favorite players and people no matter who he plays for!”
Chiefs News: Punter Position Could Be a Competition During Training Camp
Congrats Ryan!!
While the Chiefs signed Araiza to a one-year, $795,000 contract, they signed another punter immediately after the 2024 NFL draft concluded.
Kansas City added Ryan Rehkow, who went undrafted out of BYU, head coach Andy Reid’s alma mater. The former Big 12 Punter of the Year is expected to give Araiza a run for his money. Deseret News’ Jackson Payne posted on April 27, “Ryan Rehkow vs Matt ‘Punt God’ Araiza for the Chiefs’ punting job. Gonna be cinema.”
In 2023, Rehkow recorded 68 punts for 3,289 yards, averaging 48.2 yards per punt. During his four-year tenure at BYU, he recorded a 42% inside-20 rate, Chiefs Wire noted.