KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Longtime Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt has been released by the team. He said goodbye and thanked Kansas City for his 15 years in a Chiefs uniform on his Instagram account, posted late Monday.
“I have enjoyed my team in Chiefs Kingdom, all things must come to an end, sooner, sooner than you hoped, prayed & pleaded for them to,” Colquitt wrote in a post. “I’ll miss walking into the building and smelling the coffee, talking to everyone … It took me forever to weave through some of the most loving people you’d ever hoped to work with. I was a young kid when I first walked into Arrowhead … hell the indoor facility used to be 70 yards. Holding the post for 15 years has been an honor than I never took for granted. Thank you KC.”
In a tweet, Colquitt, in responding to someone who had suggested he was leaving on his terms, said, “not my terms … this is tough.”
The Chiefs have not announced Colquitt’s release, but a source confirmed the news to The Star.
Colquitt was a third-round draft pick by the Chiefs in 2005 and was the longest tenured player on the team that won the Super Bowl in February. He’s a two-time Pro Bowl selection, and among his franchise records is the longest punt, 81 yards in a 2007 game.
He’s appeared in 238 games, the most by any player in team history, and Colquitt’s 15 seasons with the team matches former punter Jerrel Wilson as the most with the Chiefs.
His specialty was punts inside the 20-yard line. Colquitt landed 462 of his 1,124 punts inside the 20, a total that ranks first with the Chiefs and third in NFL history. His 50,393 yards ranks eighth.
Colquitt’s involvement in the community include his support of TeamSmile — dental professionals from Kansas City provide dental care for kids and promotes children’s oral health.
Colquitt got involved with the organization and became the team’s point man for TeamSmile soon after becoming a member of the Chiefs
He’s a member of the first family of NFL punting. His father, Craig, won a pair of Super Bowl rings punting for the Pittsburgh Steelers. His younger brother, Britton, plays for the Minnesota Vikings. An uncle, Jimmy, briefly punted in the NFL. All attended the University of Tennessee.
The Chiefs recently agreed to terms with Tyler Newsome, a former Notre Dame punter who signed a 1-year deal earlier this month.
Also, Florida punter Tommy Townsend was signed after the draft as an undrafted free agent.
The move provides a salary cap savings of $2 million.
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Herbie Teope contributed to this story.
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