Ravens release Justin Tucker, insist it's a 'football decision' amid NFL investigation
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Baltimore Ravens released kicker Justin Tucker on Monday, calling it a "football decision" amid an NFL investigation into allegations that Tucker had inappropriate sexual contact with numerous massage therapists from 2012 to 2016.
A story by the Baltimore Banner in January originally said six massage therapists accused Tucker of inappropriate sexual contact, and a month later the number of therapists with complaints went up to 16. Tucker said the allegations are "unequivocally false."
Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta didn't mention anything about the investigation in a statement posted on the Ravens' website about Tucker's release.
Sometimes football decisions are incredibly difficult, and this is one of those instances. 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."
Eric DeCosta, Ravens general manager
Baltimore drafted Arizona Wildcats kicker Tyler Loop in the sixth round (No. 186 overall) of the 2025 NFL draft. Loop, like Tucker, is known for having both a powerful and accurate leg. Loop has the Arizona record with a 62-yard field goal against Houston last season. For his five-year career with the Wildcats, Loop connected on 67 of 80 kicks (84%) and only two attempts were blocked. In 2022, Loop went 18-for-23 and made 13 of 16 kicks from 40 yards or longer. From 50 yards or longer, he was 6-for-9 including the record-setting boot against the Cougars.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Sunday after the start of his team's rookie minicamp that Tucker had been in the facility "the last couple of weeks," and has been "working hard." Harbaugh said he didn't know anything about the process of the investigation other than that it's happening, and the team couldn't make a decision based on that.
"We don't know anything," he said. "We haven't been given any information, as it should be. It's all done the way it's done, so we don't know anything along those lines and we can't make any decisions on that. Every decision we make has to be based on football. There's layers to it and there's a lot of things to take into consideration. Whatever we decide to do over the next few weeks will be based on football."
Tucker, 36, has played his entire 13-year career with Ravens signed him to a free agent contract in 2012 after a remarkable college career with the Texas Longhorns. With the Ravens, Tucker was a 5-time All-Pro kicker with seven Pro Bowl selections, becoming the most accurate kicker in NFL history with an 89.1% make rate, hitting 417 of 468 attempts. He booted the longest field goal in NFL history, a 66-yarder against the Detroit Lions in 2021.
Tucker had kicking issues in 2024, making a career-low 73% of his kicks. He made 22 of 30 attempts with his percentage almost 10 points lower than his previous low in 2015. According to Spotrac, Tucker was due about $7 million this season after signing a 4-year, $24 million extension in 2022.
As a Longhorn, Tucker's most known for connecting on a 40-yard game-winning field goal as time expired to lift the Longhorns over Texas A&M 27-25 at Kyle Field in 2011, a play simply known as "The Kick." Tucker made 40 of 48 field goal attempts in two seasons for the Longhorns in 2010 and 2011.