The Baltimore Ravens released kicker Justin Tucker on Monday, the team announced, claiming it fell under the category of "football decisions." The team did not address the sixteen massage therapists from eight spas and wellness centers in the Baltimore area who accused Tucker of sexual misconduct, in a story broken by The Baltimore Banner.
The move marks the end of an era in Baltimore. Tucker earned seven Pro Bowl nods, five first-team All-Pro selections and three second-team All-Pro selections since he joined the team as an undrafted free agent in 2012. In his rookie season, he helped bring a Lombardi Trophy to Baltimore by hitting a walk-off 47-yard field goal in double overtime of the divisional round and drilling two fourth-quarter field goals in Super Bowl XLVII.
Tucker is considered to be the most consistent and reliable placekicker in NFL history. He provided the team with a significant special-teams advantage throughout his 13 years in Baltimore, but the writing was on the wall when the Ravens selected Arizona kicker Tyler Loop in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The selection raised some eyebrows and drew concerns about Tucker’s status with the team after concerning allegations emerged this offseason.
During a press conference at Baltimore’s rookie minicamp, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh attempted to convince reporters that Tucker’s future with the team would be exclusively decided by his on-field performance.
Ravens deny Justin Tucker’s release was influenced by allegations
Following Tucker’s release, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta released a statement that reiterated Harbaugh’s message.
“Sometimes football decisions are incredibly difficult, and this is one of those instances,” DeCosta said in the statement, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “Considering our current roster, we have made the tough decision to release Justin Tucker.”
Despite the team’s insistence that this was purely a football-related decision, Tucker’s off-field issues likely played a significant role in the matter. The NFL has announced plans to investigate the allegations, while Tucker has maintained that he did not act inappropriately with any of the accusers.
“From the standpoint of the investigation and all that, we don’t know anything,” Harbaugh said. “We haven’t been given any information — as it should be. It’s all done the way it’s done. So you can’t make any decisions based on that. Every decision we make has to be based on football.”
Tucker had the worst season of his career in 2024. He converted just 22 of 30 field goal attempts (73.3 percent) and missed two extra-point attempts for just the second time in his career. Even if the decision to release Tucker was purely related to those struggles, Baltimore would have at least allowed the kicker an opportunity to compete for the job in training camp.
The Ravens may be reluctant to admit that the allegations influenced their decision, particularly since the investigation is still pending and Tucker has not been proven guilty of any wrongdoing. Still, parting ways with the 35-year-old this early in the offseason allows the Ravens to avoid association with his allegations and eliminates any distractions that could potentially arise.
Despite his struggles last season, Tucker still owns the highest career field goal percentage in NFL history at 89.1 percent. He also holds the NFL record for the longest field goal (66 yards).