Ravens Release 2012 Super Bowl Champion Amid NFL Investigation

On May 5, 2025, the Baltimore Ravens announced the release of long-time kicker Justin Tucker. The release comes during a lengthy NFL investigation into the allegations against the kicker for inappropriate behavior at multiple massage parlors throughout Baltimore. Tucker also had a down year in 2024, posting a career low 76% connection rate on field goals, leading to the Ravens scouting and drafting Arizona kicker Tyler Loop in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The last remaining player from Baltimore’s 2012 Super Bowl victory team will look to find a new home pending the result of the NFL’s investigation.  

On January 30, 2025, a local publication called The Baltimore Banner released an article stating accusations from at least six massage therapists against Tucker for inappropriate behavior during visits to multiple parlors from 2012 to 2017. The article also claimed that Tucker was banned from two of the massage parlors. Tucker and his legal team denied and called the claims “unequivocally false” and stated that he had never been told he was banned from any of the establishments. A few days later, more claims were announced per the Baltimore Banner that accused Tucker, where a therapist claimed she no longer felt “safe or comfortable working with him.” The NFL began an investigation, and the Ravens’ front office decided to make a decision on Tucker’s future based on the results found by the league investigators.

Tucker signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Texas in 2012. He's gone on to become the most accurate kicker in NFL history, recording an 89.1% field goal percentage. As a rookie, the seven-time Pro Bowler won the Super Bowl with Baltimore in the 2012 season, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 34-31. Tucker also has the record for the longest field goal in NFL history, as well as the longest field goal made in a domed stadium at 66 yards versus the Detroit Lions. Additionally, Tucker has 18 game-winning field goals, contributing to 128 total wins, with an additional 114 wins coming with Tucker only lining up for kickoffs. Even with all the accolades achieved in his 13-year career, the down year combined with the allegations were a good reason for the Ravens to draft Arizona kicker Tyler Loop in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

“We've told you guys multiple times this spring that we would look at kickers, and so, for us, it's like any other position this year,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said in a post-draft interview about selecting Loop in the sixth round. “We evaluated all these guys, we felt like he was draftable. We felt like he was the best kicker. It made sense for us to take him.” Hours before the release of Tucker, head coach John Harbaugh said Tucker’s future with the team “has to be based on football,” alluding to on-field performance, salary cap and the fact they selected Loop with not just a sixth-round pick, but an early sixth at that. In 2024, Tucker scored 22/30 field goals attempted, missing three from 40-49 yards and five from 50+. Tucker also missed two extra points this season, marking the first time Tucker has missed two PATs in a single season since 2019.

This is undoubtedly the end of an era of Ravens football. Tucker was a reliable, consistent, and decisive factor in many games for the Ravens since coming into the league in 2012. There was a time when Tucker would line up, and fans were more concerned about where their car was parked and how quickly they could get back home. In 2024, that feeling was not there, as he missed from places where he was supposed to be close to perfect. Fans held their breath as the easiest of kicks were not easy anymore. The allegations that I purposely left out are truly disgusting, gruesome, and traumatic, which breaks many hearts that this is how the best kicker in football will be remembered for the rest of his career and for many years to come.