The Kansas City Chiefs are signing Justin Tucker to their practice squad, a person familiar with the move told The Associated Press on Wednesday, giving the five-time All-Pro kicker a second chance in the NFL after serving a 10-game suspension last year for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the signing had not been announced by the team. Coach Andy Reid was expected to address it at his weekly news conference later Wednesday.
Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker has struggled mightily the last two seasons, missing a pair of kicks in Sunday’s loss in Seattle to the Seahawks. He was still on the active roster Wednesday, so the signing of Tucker could merely be to provide some competition.
Tucker spent 13 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, earning a reputation as one of the league’s best kickers, before his tenure there ended in controversy. The Baltimore Banner reported in 2025 that Tucker had been accused of sexual misconduct by 16 massage therapists at a series of high-end spas, accusations that he called “unequivocally false” and “tabloid fodder.”
The Ravens released Tucker in May. And while he was never criminally charged or sued in civil court, the NFL suspended him for the first 10 games of the 2025 season, which Tucker served as a free agent; he became eligible for reinstatement last November.
Tucker worked out for the New York Jets before this season but did not sign with them.
Butker has missed 10 field-goal attempts and five extra points since the start of last season, the most in the league. That includes multiple missed kicks in back-to-back games and four of his last six, including two costly ones in the Chiefs’ 20-3 loss to the Seahawks.
Tucker, who turns 37 next month, hadn’t been a whole lot better when he was released. He missed 10 kicks during the 2024 season.
Reporting by The Associated Press.