Ravens make 'tough decision,' cut kicker Tucker

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- In an unceremonious end to one of the greatest Ravens careers, Baltimore released kicker Justin Tucker on Monday, parting ways with the NFL's most accurate kicker amid an investigation by the league for sexual misconduct.

"Sometimes football decisions are incredibly difficult, and this is one of those instances," Ravens executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement. "Considering our current roster, we have made the tough decision to release Justin Tucker.

"Justin created many significant and unforgettable moments in Ravens history. His reliability, focus, drive, resilience and extraordinary talent made him one of the league's best kickers for over a decade. We are grateful for Justin's many contributions while playing for the Ravens. We sincerely wish him and his family the very best in this next chapter of their lives."

The move comes less than two months after team president Sashi Brown said the Ravens would wait on making a decision on Tucker until the NFL finished its investigation. But the uncertainty about Tucker's future ramped up April 26, when Baltimore made the historic move of selecting kicker Tyler Loop in the sixth round of the NFL draft. That marked the first time in the franchise's 30 years that it drafted a kicker.

Tucker, 35, has been accused of misconduct by 16 massage therapists from eight high-end spas and wellness centers in the Baltimore area, according to The Baltimore Banner. All of the alleged misconduct reportedly occurred between 2012 and 2016, Tucker's first five seasons in the NFL.

Tucker's conduct, as first reported by the Banner four months ago, caused some therapists to refuse to work with him again and resulted in two spas banning him from returning.

Tucker has denied any wrongdoing, calling the allegations "unequivocally false" and describing the Banner's article as "desperate tabloid fodder." Tucker's lawyers have said he has never been banned from the two spas.

In February, the NFL began its investigation when it started to speak to some of the women who have accused Tucker, a source told ESPN. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell described the allegations against Tucker as "serious" but indicated that there would be no updates until the investigation was complete.

Tucker was cut with three years left on a four-year, $22 million contract extension that made him the league's highest-paid kicker at the time. The Ravens won't have to pay his $4.2 million salary in 2025, which is the first year of his deal in which none of his salary was guaranteed. Baltimore can gain $4.2 million in salary cap space this year by designating him as a post-June 1 cut, which would split his $7.5 million dead money over two seasons.

In moving on from Tucker, the Ravens will rely on a new kicker for the first time in 14 years. The favorite to replace Tucker is Loop, who was the Baltimore's top-rated kicker in this year's draft. With a strong leg and consistent technique, Loop converted 6 of 9 attempts from 50-plus yards in his college career at Arizona, including a 62-yarder last season.

Leading up to the draft, Ravens coach John Harbaugh talked to Tucker about the possibility of Baltimore selecting a kicker. Tucker had been working out and kicking at the Ravens' facility in recent weeks.

After the first day of the team's rookie minicamp Sunday -- which was the first time most team officials saw Loop kick in person -- Harbaugh addressed the team's kicker situation by saying, "Whatever we decide to do over the next few weeks will be based on football."

Tucker was the longest-tenured player on the Ravens and the last one remaining from the team's Super Bowl championship roster in 2012. One of Baltimore's most popular athletes over the past decade, Tucker is widely known for his opera singing and comedic commercials for a local convenience store. His No. 9 jersey was among the most worn by fans at Ravens home games.

He's a seven-time Pro Bowl player who set a new standard for kickers. Tucker not only holds the NFL's best field goal conversion rate (89.1%) but also the record for the longest field goal in league history after hitting a winning 66-yarder in 2021.

But Tucker is coming off the worst season of his 13-year NFL career. He missed 10 total kicks, three more than in any previous season. His 73.3% conversion rate (22-of-30) on field goals last season ranked 31st in the NFL.

In the end-of-season news conference, DeCosta gave Tucker a strong vote of confidence, calling him "if not the best kicker of all time, one of the best" and noted that Tucker finished the season strong.

"I have every expectation that Justin's going to be a great kicker for us next year and moving forward," DeCosta said Jan. 22.

Tucker's situation drastically changed a week later, when the Banner posted its investigative report on him. On Jan. 30, six massage therapists contacted by the Banner alleged that Tucker exposed his genitals, brushed two of them with his exposed penis and left what they believed to be ejaculate on the massage table after three of his treatments. On Feb. 1, three additional massage therapists told the Banner of similar misconduct by Tucker. Then, on Feb. 16, seven more massage therapists spoke to the Banner about accusations of inappropriate behavior.

Attorneys for Tucker denied the allegations of inappropriate behavior, telling the Banner that they're speculative and "impossible to prove."

This marks an abrupt end to one of the Ravens' most famous success stories. After going undrafted out of the University of Texas, Tucker quickly became the top kicker of his generation and put up Hall of Fame-caliber numbers. Now, he leaves the Ravens as their all-time leading scorer while defending his reputation against the allegations of misconduct.

As a free agent, Tucker is still subject to discipline by the NFL under the league's personal conduct policy.