KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs agreed Wednesday to sign veteran kicker Justin Tucker to their practice squad, adding immediate competition following a series of kicking miscues by longtime starter Harrison Butker.
Tucker, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and five-time first-team All-Pro with the Baltimore Ravens, has not appeared in an NFL contest since 2024. The move was first reported by The Kansas City Star and confirmed by UPI through a league source.
Struggles for Butker
The signing comes on the heels of a difficult outing for Butker during Kansas City’s road loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night. Outlets reported differing final scores for the game, with Yahoo Sports reporting a 20-3 defeat and UPI listing the score as 30-3. In that matchup, Butker converted just one of three field goal tries, missing a 58-yard attempt as the first half expired and pushing a 45-yard attempt wide right early in the fourth quarter.
Through six games this season, Butker has made 11 of 16 field goal attempts, an uncharacteristic 68.8 percent conversion rate that represents a career low, UPI reported. His previous career mark stood at 88.4 percent from 2017 through 2025. Most of his trouble this year has come from distance, having converted two of six attempts from 50 yards or deeper, according to Yahoo Sports. In addition, SB Nation noted that Butker has missed 15 total attempts since the start of the 2025 campaign.
For now, Butker remains on the active 53-man roster, but Tucker’s arrival provides Kansas City with an immediate alternative.
Tucker’s Path Back to the League
Tucker spent 13 seasons in Baltimore and ranks second in NFL history in career field goal accuracy at 89.1 percent, NBC Sports reported. However, his performance slipped during his final campaign with the Ravens in 2024, when he converted a career-low 73.3 percent of his attempts, according to Yahoo Sports.
The Ravens released Tucker in May 2025 after a report from The Baltimore Banner detailed allegations of sexual misconduct involving massage therapists in the Baltimore area. UPI reported that 16 massage therapists made accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior against him. While Tucker denied the accusations and described them as categorically false, the NFL handed him a 10-game suspension under the league’s personal conduct policy, according to SB Nation.
Tucker served the 10-game ban as an unsigned free agent during the early stages of the 2025 season and became eligible for reinstatement in November of that year. While he received workouts with multiple clubs over the past two years, he had not signed with any team until Wednesday.
What Comes Next
Kansas City brought in several kickers for tryouts on Tuesday, according to Tom Pelissero of The Ringer. Tucker stood out during the audition, converting all 30 of his kicks, SB Nation reported.
Because Tucker has already served his league suspension, he is eligible to be elevated to the active roster and kick immediately if the coaching staff chooses. The Chiefs, sitting at 5-1, are scheduled to travel to face the 5-2 Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon.
