The Kansas City Chiefs are working hard to push for a Super Bowl three-peat. While the Chiefs retained several key starters, punter Tommy Townsend walked in free agency.
The writing was on the wall after Kansas City moved to sign Matt Araiza less than two weeks after becoming back-to-back champions. Townsend, who earned First-Team All-Pro honors in 2022, didn’t remain jobless for long.
The 27-year-old, who joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2020, signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the Houston Texans in March. Townsend returned to Kansas City to support Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce‘s second annual musical festival on May 18. Speaking to Fox 4 KC’s Harold R. Kuntz, Townsend called returning to Kansas City “incredible.”
Standing outside the Azura Amphitheater, “It’s become a second home to me,” Townsend said. “Coming back here the past couple of weeks, I’m really going to miss it. KC was great. Chiefs Kingdom is amazing. I’m just going to miss my teammates and friends in KC. But it’s part of the business, so I’m excited for everything moving forward.”
Spotted at Kelce Jam .. former #Chiefs Punter Tommy Townsend. He's happy to be back in KC to hang out with former teammates . He doesn't want to rule out coming back, but excited going forward with Houston, especially coming back to Arrowhead in December. pic.twitter.com/52mgmFycfJ
— Harold R. Kuntz (@HaroldRKuntz3) May 19, 2024
While the Chiefs re-signed defensive tackle Chris Jones and restructured Kelce’s contract this offseason, Townsend acknowledged that only a handful of players get to play for the Chiefs on a perennial basis. However, he didn’t shut the door on a possible return.
“It’s really hard to be with the same team your whole career,” he said. “So, I’m grateful for my time in Kansas City and I never want to rule out not coming back. That’s something I would love to do eventually.”
Last season, Townsend punted 59 times for 2,776 yards, averaging 47.1 yards per punt. During his four-year tenure with the Chiefs, 40.8% of his punts were down/fair caught inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. On fake punts, he completed 3 passes for a total of 40 yards.