The Baltimore Ravens have held off on releasing Justin Tucker in the months following 16 accusations from massage therapists of inappropriate sexual behavior in alleged incidents from 2012 through 2016. With a decision looming, the organization is now shedding light on what will factor into the process.
Speaking to reporters, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said the decision at kicker will strictly be ‘based on football’ in the next few weeks. He also shared that the NFL hasn’t provided the team with any updates from its ongoing investigation.
“As you know, Justin’s been in the building the last couple of weeks kicking and everything. Got a chance to talk a little bit. I would just say, from the standpoint of the investigation and all that, we don’t know anything. We haven’t been given any information. As it should be, it’s all done the way it’s done. We don’t know anything along those lines, so we can’t make any decision based on that. Every decision we make has to be made on football.”
Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh on the situation at kicker with Justin Tucker (H/T James Hensley)
- Justin Tucker stats (ESPN): 73.3% field-goal conversion rate, 6-for-11 from 50-plus yards in 2024
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Examining the football-related reasons why Justin Tucker could be released
A six-time All-Pro selection, most recently in 2022, Tucker’s effectiveness as a kicker has dipped in recent years. Heading into his age-36 season, the member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, Tucker has made just 82.7 percent of his field-goal attempts over the last three seasons. For comparison, he converted on 93.3 percent of his field-goal attempts from 2016-2021.
Harbaugh mentioning the next few weeks is also worth noting. After June 1, Baltimore can release Tucker to create $4.2 million in cap space. Doing so would spread out his dead cap hit over the next two years, with a $2.872 million dead cap in 2025 and a $4.645 million dead cap in 2026.
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- Justin Tucker contract (Spotrac): $7.072 million cap hit in 2025, $7.072 million cap hit in 2026, $6.922 million cap hit in 2027
The context the Ravens need to release Tucker for football-related reasons is there. Baltimore also used the 186th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Tyler Loop, who made 6-of-9 attempts from 50-plus yards and 7-of-8 attempts from 40-plus yards out in his final season with the Arizona Wildcats.
If Tucker is released, the NFL will have no additional incentive to accelerate its investigation into Tucker. Meanwhile, teams around the league can let Tucker remain a free agent until the investigation is complete.
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