AceShowbiz - Harrison Butker, 29, has just become the highest-paid kicker in the NFL, having secured a lucrative four-year, $26.5 million contract extension with the Kansas City Chiefs. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the deal includes a substantial $17.75 million guaranteed and will keep Butker, who had one year remaining on his current contract, with the Chiefs through the 2028 season.

Butker confirmed the news on social media, expressing his enthusiasm. "There's no place I'd rather be than with the Chiefs," he wrote via X, "excited to finalize a 4-year extension. To the Heights!"

With this new deal, Butker surpasses both the Philadelphia Eagles' Jake Moody and the Baltimore Ravens' Justin Tucker, who each earn approximately $6 million annually. Notably, Butker negotiated and represented himself in these contract discussions - a bold move that has evidently paid off handsomely.

This contract arrives in the wake of Butker's divisive commencement speech at Benedictine College, where he urged women to embrace being "homemakers" and equated Pride Month with "deadly sin." These remarks ignited a storm of controversy, leading to an online petition that garnered more than 238,000 signatures demanding his dismissal from the Chiefs.

In a rare public appearance at a charity gala on May 24, Butker addressed the backlash, noting, "At the outset, many people expressed a shocking level of hate, but as the days went on - even those who disagreed with my viewpoints - shared their support for my freedom of religion."

He elaborated on the polarizing nature of his comments by linking them to his deeply held Catholic faith, asserting, "The more I talked about what I value most, which is my Catholic faith, the more polarizing I've become. It's a decision I've consciously made and one I do not regret at all. If we have truth and charity, we should trust the Lord's providence and let the Holy Ghost do the rest of the work."

Butker's teammates have offered varying perspectives on the incident. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes described Butker as "a good person," although he admitted to not agreeing with all of the kicker's statements.

"We're not always going to agree and there's certain things that he said that I don't agree with," Mahomes said, "but I understand the person [who] he is and [that] he's trying to do whatever he can to lead people in the right direction."

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce shared a similar sentiment, stating, "When it comes down to his views and what he said at the commencement speech, you know, those are his. I can't say I agree with the majority of it - or just about any of it - outside of just him loving his family or his kids. I don't think I should judge him by his views, especially his religious views of how he goes about life."

With the new contract in place, Butker is set to help the Chiefs in their pursuit of a historic third consecutive Super Bowl when the regular season kicks off on September 5.