Matt Araiza admits there were times in the past two years when he thought the 82-yard punt he made in a Buffalo Bills preseason game might be his only NFL performance.
“There were times that I didn’t and there were times that I did,” Araiza said Monday. “Honestly, it kept going back and forth in my mind. But yeah, there was a lot of moments where I thought it was over, so I’m incredibly grateful to be here.”
The “here” is training camp with the Kansas City Chiefs at Missouri Western State University, where Araiza hopes to restart his NFL career.
Two weeks after that 82-yard punt in a game against Indianapolis, a lawsuit was filed against Araiza, accusing him of being involved in the gang rape of a 17-year-old girl in 2021.
The San Diego County District Attorney did not file charges, and in July 2023, Araiza filed a defamation lawsuit against the accuser. Both parties agreed to drop their lawsuits in December, with neither side admitting any wrongdoing and no money being exchanged.
Araiza said he is trying to move past the controversy. “Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. But I think if you do your own research, I think you can come to a pretty clear conclusion,” he said. Despite the challenges, football has remained his focus.
“I love football. I love being out here,” Araiza said. “So it was on my mind a lot. It was tough to watch Sundays for sure. Really tough.”
The Chiefs signed Araiza as a free agent on February 22, and he impressed special teams coordinator and assistant head coach Dave Toub during the offseason workouts.
“Coming in, I consider him a rookie because he really only kicked one game and preseason and he was done. So as a rookie, he’s really above the line in my opinion,” Toub said. “I think he’s way ahead right now. He’s really hitting some good punts in team periods. That’s what you want to see now. I mean, that’s one thing, but now you got to see him do it in a game. That’s a whole other level. We got to see that.”
Araiza, known as the “Punt God,” will get that chance on Saturday when the Chiefs begin the preseason at Jacksonville. Head coach Andy Reid gave his advice to the 24-year-old punter on Monday.
