| Net Worth | $2.5 million to $3 million |
| Born | May 16, 2000 |
| Age | 23 |
| Designation | Punter |
| Nationality | American |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Team | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Last Updated | February 23, 2024 |
Introduction
After missing his chance to make his NFL debut, Matt Araiza is back and eager to prove himself. The 23-year-old was cut from the Bills squad after being drafted in 2022, but the reigning Super Bowl champs Kansas City Chiefs have now given him a chance at redemption.
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The Chiefs have signed the punter, with confirmation coming from Araiza’s agency and himself. On Thursday, he said he was “thrilled to be able to continue my NFL career. I am proud and honored to sign a contract with the Chiefs,” Araiza said in a statement shared by his agency, JL Sports.
Early Life, High School, and College
Born on May 16, 2000, in San Diego, California, Matt Arazia attended the local Rancho Bernardo High School. This is perhaps where his football talents first began to shine. An absolute athlete, Araiza also competed in soccer and track and field. His 37 field goals were a San Diego Section record. He broke the record set by former Aztec Nate Tandberg at the same high school from 1993-95 at 34 field goals.
According to MaxPreps, he connected on 37 of his 48 field goal attempts for his HS career. He also thrived in his track and field endeavors, setting the freshmen 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles school records. 247sports labeled him a 2-star recruit and the 19th-best kicker.
Araiza committed to play college football at San Diego State University (SDSU), rejecting other offers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Montana. This is where he earned his moniker ‘Punt God,’ and for good reason. This is also where he won the 2021 Ray Guy Award as the best in the nation at his position. While serving as a kicker for the Aztecs, he made over 73 percent of his field goal attempts while accumulating 141 touchbacks on kickoffs.
He accumulated plenty of more accolades during his time at SDSU. With San Diego State, Araiza was a consensus All-American for the 2021 season and led all FBS players in punt average (51.19) in 2021.
NFL Career
After a historic college camping with the Aztecs, Araiza was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL draft. He was the 180th pick and was awarded a 4-year rookie contract worth $3,876,148, including a $216,148 signing bonus, $216,148 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $969,037.
Unfortunately, the rookie punter was cut by the Bills shortly after being named in a civil lawsuit. Later, Araiza worked out for the Jets but was not signed. According to columnist Dan Wetzel, “numerous” NFL teams were hesitant to sign him with the civil suit still pending.
However, now Araiza can look forward to a new beginning, having been released from the suit, and signing with the reigning Super Bowl champs.
Why Was the ‘Punt God’ Cut From the Bills?
Arazia was named the Bills’ starting punter following the release of veteran Matt Haack. However, he did not suit up for the Bills’ final preseason game on August 26, 2022, a day after the lawsuit against him became public. He was released by the team the very next day.
The lawsuit brought against Araiza and two of his SDSU teammates accused them of s*xual assault and gang r*pe of a minor at a party. According to the suit, Araiza met the girl, 17 at the time, outside a house where the party was being hosted, and took her to a room, where she was assaulted by multiple men. Araiza denied the allegations, including any knowledge of the girl’s age and possible level of intoxication. However, he admitted to having consensual s*x with the girl but denied knowledge that she was underage.
Authorities had declined to pursue criminal charges against Araiza and have determined he was not at the party when the gang rape occurred. According to documents released last year, prosecutors determined he had left the party before the alleged gang r*pe. The victim dropped the suit against him in December of last year. In exchange for her dropping her civil suit, he agreed to drop his own defamation suit against her.
What is Matt Araiza’s Net Worth?
According to multiple websites, Matt Araiza’s Net Worth stands somewhere between $2.5 million to $3 million. He is believed to have accumulated this from his NIL deals, and subsequent signing bonus from the Bills. He was awarded a $216,148 signing bonus by the Buffalo team.
While details of his contract with the Chiefs are not public yet, his net worth will surely take a big hike once he hops on the chariot of the reigning Super Bowl champs.
