The Kansas City Chiefs know a thing or two about employing excellence on special teams. Both kickers and punters have been perennial bright spots for the team over the last several seasons and even decades, a legacy especially at kicker going back to Jan Stenerud (and including the likes of Nick Lowery, Morten Andersen, Pete Stoyanovich, and more).
Harrison Butker is the current great well-entrenched in his role, but last season, injury forced the Chiefs to make some short-term changes. The good news is that the front office and coaching staff are well-prepared such moments with an impressive eye for fresh talent, players who come in and seemingly have no problems stepping into a high-pressure situation.
Last season, Spencer Shrader was one such performer for the Chiefs and the Indianapolis Colts rewarded him for it in free agency. On Thursday, the Colts signed Shrader to a two-year deal to come in and compete with Matt Gay for the 2025 campaign. The team-wide emphasis on competition apparently extends to special teams.
Quite the homecoming opportunity for Shrader, who wrapped his college days at Notre Dame.
Shrader joined the Chiefs at midseason when Butker was forced to injured reserve with a troublesome knee issue. The Chiefs signed Shrader away from the New York Jets' practice squad, and he came in and won the game against the Carolina Panthers in Week 12 with a flawless performance. He converted all three field goals, made all three extra point attempts, and even made sure every one of six kickoff attempts were touchbacks.
Unfortunately, Shrader would soon join Butker on IR and the Chiefs were forced to turn to a third kicker in Matthew Wright.
The Colts have enjoyed an 82 percent field goal completion rate with Matt Gay manning the kicker role since 2023, but the franchise is desperate to make positive gains in every area in an important season for general manager Chris Ballard. Shrader's presence ensures that the team is following through on their mantra for wanting to instill competition across the board—even at quarterback for Anthony Richardson.
The signing is a nice homecomign for Shrader, who not only was born in Indianapolis but originally entered the NFL with the Colts as an undrafted free agent. He was waived from the practice squad in October and the Jets signed him, only for the Chiefs to pry him away weeks later.