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!”

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.