The Kansas City Chiefs have signed free agent punter Matt Araiza, a league source confirmed to FanBuzz Thursday afternoon.
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News of Araiza's signing was first reported by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
Source: #Chiefs are signing free agent punter Matt Araiza.
Araiza, a sixth-round pick in 2022, was out of football last year due to a rape lawsuit, which was dropped in December. pic.twitter.com/DdfrgDq0Ax
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) February 22, 2024
Araiza, 23, has never appeared in an NFL game, in the aftermath of a lawsuit stemming from a woman accusing the former San Diego State punter of rape during a 2021 incident. Prosecutors did not pursue charges, and the case against Araiza was dropped in December, 2023.
"Matt has been to hell and back in the last 18 months," Araiza's agency, JL Sports posted on X (formerly known as Twitter. "He has handled himself with grace."
Ultimately the third punter chosen in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills selected Araiza in the sixth-round, only to release him that August when the lawsuit was brought to light.
"This is bigger than football," Bills general manager Brandon Beane told reporters following Araiza's release. "Let's just step back and (let Araiza) go handle this. That's what we thought was most important."
Known as the "Punt God," leading up to the 2022 draft, Araiza averaged a whopping 51.2 yards per punt during the 2021 college football season, in which he won the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation's best punter.
Prior to signing with the Chiefs, Araiza signed with the Tijuana Greyhounds of the Liga de Fútbol Americano for the 2023 season.
Chiefs punter Tommy Townsend is set to become an unrestricted free agent, and in all likelihood, Araiza's arrival signals that Townsend will be elsewhere in 2024. Townsend spent the past four seasons in Kansas City, averaging 47.4 yards per punt and planting 40.8 percent of his punts inside the 20-yard line.
With Araiza now under contract, it's unclear where Townsend will play next season.
