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Matt Araiza will begin this season as a punter for the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs, two years after the Buffalo Payments fired him following rape allegations in a lawsuit.
The rape case was dropped and Araiza signed with the Chiefs in February. He battled Ryan Rhekow in camp for the beginning punter place and by the top of the preseason was the staff’s full-time punter.
Araiza has formally made the lower because the Chiefs trimmed their roster to 53 males on Tuesday.
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Kansas Metropolis Chiefs punter Matt Araiza, #49, on the sideline in opposition to the Detroit Lions through the sport at GEHA Subject at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas Metropolis, Missouri, on August 17, 2024. (Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports activities)
Chiefs particular groups coach Dave Toub defined final month why Araiza would change into the beginning punter.
“These two guys did an awesome job. Ryan Rehkow did an awesome job, the child from BYU that we had. It was a troublesome determination,” Toub stated, by way of Chiefs thread“It wasn’t actually clear, however in the end Matt was a bit extra constant each day. As a left-handed punter, a bit bit older, I believe we made that option to preserve going with it. I did not need to go into this camp with two guys.”
Toub instructed that Araiza may supply a unique look to punt returners since he’s left-handed.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid additionally spoke briefly about Araiza on August 5.
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Kansas Metropolis Chiefs punter Matt Araiza, #49, walks from the locker room to the sphere previous to coaching camp at Missouri Western State College in Kansas Metropolis, Missouri, on July 26, 2024. (Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports activities)
“I like him,” Reid stated. “Simply preserve working exhausting — consistency on a regular basis. You may see — I imply, he is the boss.”
Araiza additionally indicated on the time whether or not he thought he would ever be capable of rating factors once more.
“There have been occasions I did not and there have been occasions I did,” he stated. “Actually, it stored going backwards and forwards in my thoughts. Yeah, there have been a number of occasions the place I believed it was over. I am extremely grateful to be right here.”
Araiza will possible get his first probability to attain subsequent week when the Chiefs open their season in opposition to the Baltimore Ravens, and he stated he knew how particular the second could be.
“It should be fairly surreal. I am positively going to take all of it in,” he stated. “Like I stated, I am simply grateful for the chance and grateful to get again to that second as a result of that is my favourite factor: being on the market in a demanding state of affairs, in a sport, being rushed, pads on (and) the whole lot. I believe that is after I’m at my greatest, so I can not wait to get again on the market.”
The lawsuit in opposition to Araiza was dropped in December.
Kansas Metropolis Chiefs punter Matt Araiza, #49, walks down the mound from the locker room to the fields previous to coaching camp at Missouri Western State College in St. Joseph, Missouri, on July 22, 2024. (Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports activities)
Often called the “Level God” at San Diego State, the Payments chosen him within the sixth spherical of the 2022 draft. Nevertheless, he was launched earlier than the beginning of the season after the lawsuit got here out.
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He received the 2021 Ray Man Award, an award for the highest school punter, and was an All-American that very same 12 months.
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Ryan Gaydos is the Editor-in-Chief at Fox Information Digital.
