On Wednesday morning, we led “Arrowheadlines” with rumors that the Kansas City Chiefs would be bringing in competition for kicker Harrison Butker. Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star followed up a few hours later with a more notable name than anyone expected: Justin Tucker, reportedly being signed to the practice squad today
.In his 13-year career with the Baltimore Ravens, Tucker is a five-time first-team All-Pro, seven-time Pro Bowler, and a member of the All-Decade team from the 2010s.
He also
hasn’t played football since 2024, a primary factor being the 10-game suspension the NFL hit him with in the summer of 2025; the discipline stemmed from 16 accusations of “inappropriate sexual behavior” by massage therapists. Tucker has denied the allegations.
He had a rough final season in Baltimore, and the Ravens called cutting ties with their all-time placekicker a “football decision” at the time, but it’s hard to overlook the suspension-worthy allegations, which ranged from 2012-2016, according to McDowell’s report in The Star.
After a Pro Bowl campaign in 2023, a season that ended in an AFC Championship loss to the Chiefs, Tucker’s field-goal percentage dropped to 73% in 2024 with multiple missed point-after attempts for the first time in five years.
Earlier this season, he tried out for the Miami Dolphins, but the winless Dolphins (at the time) went with Zane Gonzalez instead. According to Jesse Newell of The Athletic, the Chiefs were the fifth team since his suspension to host him for a tryout.
In Kansas City, Tucker reportedly beat out former Missouri Tigers kicker Harrison Mevis — who was released by the Los Angeles Rams a few weeks ago — according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The most memorable moment in Tucker’s career in relation to the Chiefs was the pre-game antics from the 2023 season’s AFC Championship. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce kicked and threw equipment of Tucker’s away from where they were warming up on the field.
The move comes after Butker has struggled over the last two games, missing three field goals and a point-after attempt. We will hear from head coach Andy Reid at the podium around Noon Arrowhead time today and will likely get more information on whether the 36-year-old Tucker will fill in for an injured Butker or is just insurance for Kansas City’s all-time kicker moving forward.
