Nine days after drafting a kicker amidst an NFL investigation into numerous allegations of sexual misconduct against seven-time Pro Bowl kicker Justin Tucker, the Ravens have released one of the most decorated players in franchise history.
General manager Eric DeCosta issued a statement explaining that “sometimes football decisions are incredibly difficult” while citing the “current roster” that now includes sixth-round rookie Tyler Loop. The University of Arizona product was the first kicker to be drafted in franchise history, another sign that the 35-year-old Tucker’s time with the organization was coming to an end.
“Justin created many significant and unforgettable moments in Ravens history,” DeCosta stated. “His reliability, focus, drive, resilience, and extraordinary talent made him one of the league’s best kickers for over a decade. We are grateful for Justin’s many contributions while playing for the Ravens.
“We sincerely wish him and his family the very best in this next chapter of their lives.”
The statement made no mention of the allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior made by 16 Baltimore-area massage therapists that took place from 2012-16. The initial Baltimore Banner report came out on Jan. 30 with Tucker responding with a lengthy statement calling the allegations “unequivocally false” and describing the reporting as “desperate tabloid fodder.” The Ravens had said they would wait out the league’s ongoing investigation before making any decision, but their tone changed after Loop’s selection with the 186th overall pick on April 26.
Speaking to reporters at the team’s rookie camp on Sunday, head coach John Harbaugh was asked about Tucker and Loop being on the team together and whether that dynamic would cause a distraction. Baltimore is set to begin voluntary organized team activities later this month.
“Justin has been in the building the last couple of weeks kicking and everything, and I’ve had a chance to talk to him a little bit, and he’s been working hard,” Harbaugh said. “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, so we don’t know anything along those lines, so you can’t make any decisions based on that.
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“Every decision we make has to be based on football. There’s a lot of layers to that. You’ve got a rookie kicker in here. We took him in the sixth round — early in the sixth round. He’s a talented guy. Just from a football standpoint, salary cap, all the different things that you just take into consideration, whatever we decide to do over the next few weeks would be based on football.”
The release brings an unceremonious end to a 13-year run in Baltimore for the most accurate kicker in NFL history and the record holder for the longest field goal in league history (66 yards). However, Tucker was also coming off the worst season of his career as he missed a career-high eight field goals and made just 73.3% of his field goal attempts in 2024.
His release will carry a post-June 1 designation, which will save $4.2 million in 2025 salary cap space. The move also leaves just under $2.9 million in dead money on this year’s cap.
Tucker had been the last member of the Super Bowl XLVII championship team still playing for the Ravens.
