The Pittsburgh Steelers will have a new punter in 2024. It doesn’t look like it’ll be Matt Araiza. The Kansas City Chiefs are signing Araiza, his first NFL job since being released by the Buffalo Bills following sexual assault allegations that were later proven to be untrue.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler was the first to report the news.
One of the most exciting punter prospects in years, Araiza put on a show at San Diego State. Serving as the school’s kicker and punter, he posted a ridiculous 51.2 yards per punt in 2021, tied for the best mark in college football. Nicknamed the “Punt God,” he declared for the draft a year early and was selected by the Bills in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
But he never appeared in a regular-season game for the team. Later that year, he was named in a lawsuit that alleged he was involved in a gang rape while at San Diego State. He denied the allegations but was released by the Bills on Aug. 27. The team said it did not know about the allegations until that July, months after drafting him.
Araiza was never criminally charged and eventually, evidence revealed he was no longer at the party during the time the incident allegedly occurred. Araiza filed a countersuit for defamation in December and both parties agreed to drop their lawsuits. Though his name has been cleared for months, there hadn’t been any reported interest until this point. Now, he’ll join the Chiefs this offseason.
Kansas City has an established punter in Tommy Townsend, who averaged an excellent 47.1 yards on 59 punts last season. It makes it doubtful Araiza will make the Chiefs’ 53-man roster, meaning he could be waived and become a free agent after final cutdowns — and back on the radar of a team like Pittsburgh. The Steelers released Pressley Harvin III earlier this month, leaving them without a punter on their roster.
