According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Saints are interested in bringing in legendary-yet-polarizing kicker Justin Tucker. They will work him out. Regarded as one of the best kickers of all time, Tucker could help this team score more reliably by giving them range and leg strength.

Tucker was cut from the Ravens and has been suspended for 10 games “for violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy stemming from allegations of improper behavior during massage sessions by 16 massage therapists from eight Baltimore-area spas.” The kicker is trying to get a second chance in the league.

Tucker has also been on a slight decline

Tucker is highly regarded by some as even the best kicker of all time. However, in the last two years, he’s missed 13 field goals and even three extra points. That is unheard of from a kicker that a few years ago, was literally setting records of longest field goals and historical accuracy. None of that is Tucker anymore.

Tucker now needs redemption. He will fight for a spot against third-year kicker Blake Grupe. It’s not the worst competition for Tucker, as Grupe has missed eight field goals this year already. Five of those missed field goals are from less than 50 yards.

The Saints need all the help they can get

The desperation to new head coach Kellen Moore made him bench Spencer Rattler in favor of Tyler Shough. Nothing has changed after that. The Saints have the fourth-worst rushing offense, the seventh-worst total yards offense, and the second-worst scoring offense in the NFL.

Having Tucker would mean that the Saints could be in field goal range as soon as they step into midfield. At least they would have the chance to get more points, even if it’s three instead of a touchdown.

Ravens insider Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports that Baltimore is expected to sign undrafted free agent John Hoyland, who has been participating in the team’s rookie minicamp on a tryout basis.

The former Wyoming kicker went 13-of-20 on field goal attempts in 2024, finishing his five-year collegiate career with 73-for-92. After working in front of Harbaugh and the rest of the Ravens’ coaches over the weekend, Hoyland could get a chance to become teammates with Jackson.

More than a decade later, Ravens will have a new kicker

The Ravens had already prepared for a potential breakup with Tucker by selecting Tyler Loop at No. 186 in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. In five years with Arizona, he went 67-for-80 on field goal attempts, including 18-for-23 in 2024.

Hoyland is expected to run from behind Loop as the Ravens’ second kicker, but training camp could give him a chance to fight for the starting spot. With Tucker gone, the job will be up for grabs for the first time since 2011.

Finding a prolific replacement is an important task for Harbaugh and company, as the Ravens need to know they have other ways to score points when Jackson doesn’t get a first down. Only time will tell whether one of these rookies is up to the task.

The 2024 NFL season has been a tough one for Justin Tucker. As the holder of the record for the longest field goal in history, expectations were sky-high for him this season.

Unfortunately, Tucker has fallen short of those expectations. He has missed numerous field goals and extra points that were once routine for him, leading critics to wonder whether his time in the NFL could be coming to an end.

Bill Belichick speaks out on Justin Tucker’s recent struggles

Kickers play a critical role in the NFL (just ask the Steelers this season). Many teams lack a reliable kicker, and it can seriously affect their overall performance throughout the year.

For a long time, the Ravens didn’t face this issue… until now. Justin Tucker, widely regarded as one of the best kickers in NFL history, has struggled in the 2024 season with missed field goals and even missed extra points.

In Week 13, Tucker’s precision faltered once again. In their game against the Eagles, the 35-year-old made just 2 of 4 field goals and missed 1 of 2 extra point attempts.

These misses have led analysts to question whether Tucker’s talent is fading. However, Bill Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl champion, believes there’s another reason for the struggles—though not a lack of talent.

“Obviously there’s something that’s a little bit off from a technique standpoint,” Belichick said on the ‘Lets’ Go!’ podcast, “but I don’t see that there’s like a lack of talent. I think there’s something mechanically that he’s not doing consistently. If you have the key to unlock that problem, then probably everything could be great.

“But clearly this extends back even to last year a little bit, too, because there was some accuracy issues last year in the ‘23 season as well as the current season. So I think Coach Harbaugh is doing the right thing. I would stick with Justin Tucker. This guy was the most accurate kicker in the history of football. He gets great height on the ball. He’s been super consistent. He’s obviously having a little bit of a rough patch right here but it doesn’t look to me like his talent level has declined. There’s something mechanically that just isn’t quite right all the time. I think they just gotta work hard and try to find that.”

What are Justin Tucker’s all-time stats?

Despite his recent difficulties, Justin Tucker remains one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history. While his 2024 numbers haven’t been great, his overall career stats tell a different story.

As of now, Justin Tucker has successfully made 414 out of 465 field goal attempts, with an impressive 89% accuracy. For extra points, he has missed only 8 attempts, boasting a completion rate of 98.4%.

The rivalry between the Ravens and the Steelers is one of the most intense in the entire NFL. In Week 11, Baltimore arrived as a slight favorite to win, but Pittsburgh made the best of the home advantage and secured a huge victory.

Baltimore had a big chance to win on different occasions. However, Justin Tucker missed his two field goal attempts, shocking everyone with his uncharacteristically low accuracy during the game.

Justin Tucker gets real on his missed field goals against the Steelers

The Ravens and the Steelers are having a very entertaining race for the AFC North title. While Baltimore appeared as the favorite this year, Pittsburgh has surprised everyone and is currently leading the division.

In Week 11 of the 2024 season, both clubs met for the first time this year. Mike Tomlin’s team was unable to score a single touchdown, yet they managed to win the game thanks to Chris Boswell’s perfect field goal accuracy.

The Steelers’ kicker went six for six in field goals, scoring all 18 points that secured Pittsburgh’s victory. Unfortunately for the Ravens, Justin Tucker couldn’t match this performance and missed two crucial field goals.

Tucker, who is widely regarded as the best kicker in the league, missed from 47 and 50 yards. Understandably, this is not the ideal scenario for him, and now he has sent a message to the team about his mistakes.

“I’m still confident I’m going to go out there and nail every single kick,” Tucker said, via the team’s website. “Part of the way we stay confident is by continuing to work and trust the process. I might sound like a broken record, but it’s a part of what brings us success — is just trusting the process and then taking it one kick at a time.”

What Is Justin Tucker’s contract with the Ravens?

Despite what many may think, Justin Tucker is not the highest-paid kicker in the NFL. Before his two missed field goals against the Steelers, he was the most accurate kicker in league history, but his recent struggles have raised concerns.

In 2022, the Ravens signed Justin Tucker to a four-year, $24 million extension. He ranks third among the NFL’s best-paid kickers, behind the Eagles’ Jake Elliott and the Chiefs’ Harrison Butker.

With a current record of seven wins and four losses on the season, the game against Pittsburgh presented an important opportunity for the Ravens to solidify themselves as legitimate title contenders. Lamar Jackson and his teammates were unable to break through the opposing defense, and the key chances with field goals also went to waste.

Regarding this situation, the coach addressed it in a press conference, discussing how they plan to move forward with Tucker in order to improve his performance. “The best option right now is to get Justin [Tucker] back on point, because he’s fully capable of doing it,” head coach John Harbaugh said.

“[We] certainly haven’t lost any confidence in Justin Tucker. You saw that on the 54-yarder that we sent him out for, and he drilled it. So that’s the Justin Tucker that he wants to see [and] that we all want to see on every kick. He’s definitely our best option, and he’s going to make a lot of kicks – I really believe that – going forward. But it’s up to him. It’s up to him and the guys he works with every day to make those balls go straight,” he also added.

Justin Tucker is one of the best players at his position in the league, even though he’s not having his best moment right now. Harbaugh knows the talent his kicker possesses and is confident he can get him back on track as soon as possible.

Will the Ravens replace Justin Tucker?

One of the questions surrounding Justin Tucker was whether the Ravens truly believed it was the right time to look for alternatives at the position by bringing in another player to the roster. Regarding this, Harbaugh made his stance clear.

“At this point? No. No, there’s no thought to that. You have to find that competition first if you’re going to be blunt about it. Where is that competition? That would be one thing. … Competition right now, at this time, no that’s not something we’d want for Justin. We just have to compete to get better and make those kicks,” the HC stated.

John Harbaugh makes important injury update

In what will undoubtedly be a challenging matchup for the Ravens as they visit SoFi Stadium to face the Chargers, Coach Harbaugh addressed the injury status of some of his players.

“[Michael Pierce] is on IR [Injured Reserve], so when he comes off IR, then you’ll know,” Harbaugh said. “But he’s working hard every day. He’s working hard every day to get healthy and get back out there, and he will be back this season,” the HC added.

Regarding the situation of talented cornerback Arthur Maulet, Harbaugh made something clear: “I don’t anticipate that one being Injured Reserve, at this point, so we’ll just have to see how it heals.”

Lastly, he addressed the situation of standout linebacker Roquan Smith. “No updates right now. We’re just monitoring it as we go here, and he’ll be working to get ready for the game,” the head coach said.

Baltimore Ravens upcoming matches

• vs Los Angeles Chargers, November 25th
• vs Philadelphia Eagles, December 1st
• vs New York Giants, December 15th
• vs Pittsburgh Steelers, December 21st
• vs Houston Texans, December 25th

For Tucker it was yet another record in a long list of accolades to go along with his 10-year NFL career in Baltimore. The field goal went 66 yards, the most in league history and is the second time Tucker hit a field goal that went over 60 yardsagainst the Lions. After the game Tucker chuckled and said, “Man, I love Detroit. I’m thinking about getting a place here.”

With his team down by one point Tucker stepped up and knowing that the distance was long adjusted his normal routine and kicked the ball with more aggression, by doing a kind of soccer penalty kick run up and kicked the ball for 66 yards.

Justin Tucker NFL records

“It’s something I’ve actually started doing within the last year,” Tucker said of his record-breaking kick. “As I’m becoming more and more of a dinosaur in this league at 31 years old, I’ve got to do every little thing I can to get the ball to go just a little bit farther.” Dinosaur or not Justin Tucker entered the record books yet again in the NFL.

To go along with kicking the longest field goal in NFL history Tucker has also scored the most field goals as a Raven in a single season at 38, two times in 2013 and 2016. He scored the most points in a season, 141, four times in 2016- 2019.

To say that the Detroit Lions have not been victims to Justin Tucker is an understatement, he scored the most field goals in a single game against them, 6, in 2013. In regard to the NFL Tucker is the most accurate kicker in NFL history with minimum 100 attempts. He has the most seasons with 30 field goals made, 6, now Tucker can add the longest field goal in history, of course, but add to it that it was the longest field goal in a dome stadium as well. Tucker was also the fastest kicker to 1,000 points in NFL History (2019).

Tucker is ahead of Matt Prater (64), Brett Maher along with Sebastian Janikowski of the Raiders in 2011, Graham Gano, Jason Elam, Tom Dempsey, and David Akers with 63 yards for longest field goal in NFL history.