Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker has been released.
Head coach John Harbaugh previously emphasized that decisions regarding Tucker’s future would be based on football-related factors such as on-field performance and salary cap implications—not the ongoing investigation into sexual misconduct allegations made by sixteen Baltimore-area massage therapists.
Tucker’s 2024 season saw a noticeable decline, particularly from long range. While he remained perfect on 11 attempts inside 39 yards, he converted just five of eight from 40+ yards and only six of 11 from beyond 50, finishing the year with a field goal percentage of 73.3%—ranking 36th in the league.
How Many Field Goals Has Justin Tucker Missed in His Career?
“Sometimes football decisions are incredibly difficult, and this is one of those instances,” wrote Ravens Executive Vice President and General Manager Eric DeCosta. “Considering our current roster, we have made the decision to release Justin Tucker.”
BREAKING: Ravens are releasing K Justin Tucker. pic.twitter.com/twndwLmNYR
— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM)
The Ravens drafted kicker Tyler Loop in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, potentially signaling the that the team was preparing for life without Tucker.
Justin Tucker is widely considered one of the greatest kickers in NFL history. The 35-year-old holds the record for the longest field goal at 66 yards, boasts the highest career field goal percentage at 89.1%, and is a seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time first-team All-Pro.
Over 13 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, Tucker missed just 51 of 468 field goal attempts. His most accurate season came in 2016, when he converted a career-high 97.4% of his kicks.
Tucker was in the midst of a four-year, $24 million contract extension signed in 2022, which included $14 million guaranteed. His cap hit for 2025 was set at $7.07 million. By designating his release as a post-June 1 cut, the Ravens will save $4.2 million in cap space next season. The remaining $7.5 million in dead money will be spread across two years: $2.87 million in 2025 and $4.65 million in 2026.
Tucker is facing allegations from 16 massage therapists in the Baltimore area, stemming from incidents that allegedly occurred between 2012 and 2016. The claims include accusations that he exposed himself and left bodily fluids on massage tables. Tucker has denied the allegations, calling them “unequivocally false.”
The NFL has dealt with similar cases in the past. Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson faced multiple accusations of sexual misconduct from massage therapists. Following a league investigation, Watson served an 11-game suspension in 2022.
In 2023, the Houston Texans traded Watson and a 2024 sixth-round pick to the Browns in exchange for Cleveland’s 2022 first- and fourth-round picks, 2023 first- and third-round picks, and 2024 first- and fourth-round picks. The Browns then signed Watson to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract.
