Justin Tucker Signs With Kansas City Chiefs Practice Squad

The National Football League has seen several veteran players return to the game after long absences, but few moves have generated as much immediate discussion as the latest personnel change involving a former Baltimore Ravens star.

Justin Tucker, who holds the franchise record for points scored, is expected to join the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad, according to reports released Wednesday by NFL Network and ESPN.

The signing closes a 17-month period in which Tucker was not on an active roster. He was released by the Ravens in May 2025 and subsequently served a 10-game suspension from the league. The suspension was tied to allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior first published by The Baltimore Banner.

Tucker, who turns 37 on November 21, will not start immediately. ESPN reported that the Chiefs intend to use him as insurance for starter Harrison Butker. Butker is currently navigating the worst accuracy season of his career. Contract details for the practice squad deal were not disclosed in the initial reports.

Butker has made 11 of his 16 field goal attempts this season, resulting in a 68.8% success rate. He has missed four attempts from 50 yards or longer, one from 45 yards, and one extra point. Two of those misses occurred in the Chiefs' loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The Chiefs play at Denver on November 1 and host the New York Jets on November 8.

Tucker spent 13 seasons with the Ravens after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He won a Super Bowl as a rookie, earned seven Pro Bowl selections, and was named first-team All-Pro five times. He finished his tenure in Baltimore with 417 successful field goals out of 468 attempts, an 89.1% conversion rate. His 1,775 career points were all scored for the Ravens.

His final season in Baltimore was his least accurate. Tucker made 22 of 30 field goal attempts in 2024, a 73.3% rate. In January 2025, The Baltimore Banner published an investigation alleging that massage therapists at local spas had experienced inappropriate sexual behavior from Tucker between 2012 and 2016. Sixteen therapists from eight businesses made accusations. Tucker has denied the claims, stating in a January 30 statement that the allegations were unequivocally false.

The Ravens officially released Tucker on May 5, 2025. The NFL suspended him for 10 games without pay on June 26, 2025, for violating its personal conduct policy. Tucker did not appeal the suspension and did not play during the 2025 season. His 66-yard field goal kick in Detroit previously stood as the league record until Cam Little of Jacksonville kicked a 68-yarder on November 2, 2025.

Tucker will not face the Ravens in the regular season. The two teams are not scheduled to play each other in 2026. A matchup would only occur if both teams reach the playoffs and are drawn against each other in January or February. The Ravens selected kicker Tyler Loop in the sixth round of the 2025 draft to replace Tucker on their roster.

The Chiefs will decide on their kicking game before their trip to Denver on November 1. If Butker's accuracy does not improve, Tucker could be elevated to the active roster. Under league rules, a team can only elevate a practice squad player to the active roster a limited number of times before the player must be signed to the full roster.