Former Georgia Tech kicker Harrison Butker released by Panthers
Former Georgia Tech kicker Harrison Butker has been released by the Carolina Panthers.
Former Georgia Tech kicker Harrison Butker is now looking for a new NFL team after being waived by the Panthers on Wednesday evening. The Atlanta, Georgia native was waived after the Panthers claimed cornerback LaDarius Gunter off waivers from the Green Bay Packers.
The corresponding move is waiving K Harrison Butker (thanks, autocorrect) https://t.co/k3MVr27CcH
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 13, 2017
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Butker made the Panthers initial 53-man roster following training camp but was inactive for Carolina’s week one game in San Francisco. Despite having a better training camp than incumbent starter Graham Cano, the Panthers awarded Cano with the starting job following training camp.
Butker was drafted in the seventh round by the Panthers in April’s NFL Draft. Unfortanutely for Butker, being waived leaves him without a job for the time being.
Butker left Georgia Tech as the third most accurate kicker in school history only behind Scott Blair and Travis Bell. Butker is also tied with Blair and Bell for the best season a kicker has had on The Flats with a field goal percentage of 88.2%.
As a waived player, the rest of the NFL’s 32 teams will have a 24-hour period to claim Butker from Carolina’s waivers. If Butker goes unclaimed during this 24-hour period, he will become an unrestricted free-agent and be free to sign with any organization in any league that he chooses.
The good news for Butker is that kickers in the NFL are mostly journeymen. The most recent example is the Oakland Raiders Giorgio Tavecchio who has been trying to make NFL rosters since 2012. Tavecchio finally got his chance this season when Raiders kicker and former Florida State Seminole, Sebastian Janikowski went down with a long-term injury.