Justin Tucker is returning to the NFL following one year away.
The Kansas City Chiefs signed the former Baltimore Ravens kicker to their practice squad on Wednesday, Oct. 28, according to multiple reports. Tucker, a 13-year NFL veteran, did not play during the 2025 season.
News of Tucker's signing comes shortly after reports that the Chiefs were exploring alternative kicking options amid Harrison Butker's recent struggles. Butker has missed five field goals through six games this year, including two misses against the Seahawks on "Sunday Night Football" last week.
Tucker's 13-year stint with the Ravens ended with his release in May 2025 amid an NFL investigation into accusations from 16 massage therapists of inappropriate sexual behavior by the kicker.
In June 2025, the league suspended Tucker 10 games to begin the season for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.
The placekicker denied the allegations but did not appeal the NFL's decision. He served his suspension last year without an active contract.
Tucker tried out for the Saints and Colts after his suspension was over, but he did not sign a contract in 2025. This year, Tucker reportedly tried out with those same teams again in July but once again went unsigned. He also tried out for the Jets in September, but Gang Green opted to stick with Jason Sanders.
Tucker is widely considered to be one of the greatest kickers in NFL history thanks to an 89.1% made field goal percentage that ranks third all-time. The veteran has also converted 64 of 96 (66.7%) of his attempts from 50-plus yards out.
In 2024, his last active season, Tucker converted a career-low field goal rate of 73.3% – 22 made field goals on 30 attempts. His 96.8% extra-point conversion rate was the second-lowest mark of his career.
The 36-year-old's brief time away from the NFL is over after signing his deal with the Chiefs. Here's what to know about his contract and the allegations he faced:
Justin Tucker contract details
- Term: One year
- Total value: TBA
- Average annual value (AAV): TBA
- Guaranteed money: TBA
Tucker signed with the Chiefs' practice squad on Wednesday, Oct. 28. Information about his contract details are still to come.
What was Justin Tucker accused of?
Sixteen Baltimore-area massage therapists accused Tucker of sexual misconduct during sessions, according to reporting from the Baltimore Banner. His behavior led to his ban from two spas in Charm City, the outlet reported.
The first reports in a Baltimore Banner article from January 2025 said six women at different spa and wellness businesses in the Baltimore area made allegations against Tucker, including "exposing his genitals, brushing two of them with his exposed penis, and leaving what they believed to be ejaculate on the massage table after three of his treatments." Ten more women came forward with similar allegations in the following weeks.
The NFL opened an investigation into Tucker in February 2025, and the Ravens released the kicker in May. On June 26, 2025, the league announced a 10-game suspension for Tucker for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. The suspension was one game shorter than the one Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson served in 2022 for similar allegations.
The NFL's personal conduct policy states that violations of the policy involving "criminal assault or battery (felony); domestic violence, dating violence, child abuse and other forms of family violence; or sexual assault involving physical force or committed against someone incapable of giving consent" come with a baseline suspension of six games without pay for a first-time violator. It also notes that "the presence of possible aggravating factors may warrant a longer suspension."
USA TODAY Sports' Jacob Camenker and Brent Schrotenboer contributed to this report.
This story will be updated.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chiefs sign veteran kicker Justin Tucker: What to know
