The Kansas City Chiefs could be on the verge of replacing longtime kicker Harrison Butker. Days after Butker missed two field goals in an embarrassing 20-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the Chiefs reportedly signed kicker Justin Tucker to their practice squad, according to the Kansas City Star.
Tucker has not appeared in the NFL since the 2024 season. He was released by the Baltimore Ravens before the 2025 NFL season after being accused of sexual misconduct by several massage therapists.
Tucker has been subject to tryouts with other NFL teams in the years since his release, but has remained unsigned until now.
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Before his release, Tucker was considered one of the best kickers in the NFL. From 2013 to 2023, he was a five-time first-team All-Pro and a seven-time Pro Bowler.
His performance, however, began to decline during his final season with the Ravens. Tucker made a career-worst 73.3 percent of his field goal attempts that year, with many of his misses coming from longer distances. Despite this, it seemed like the Ravens were planning to bring Tucker back in 2025 until charges against him came to light.
Tucker was ultimately handed a 10-game suspension from the NFL before the 2025 season. Although he was not part of a team, the NFL counted the first 10 weeks of the regular season as time served for Tucker. For this reason, he could be immediately eligible if the Chiefs promote him to their active roster.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid cited the suspension as a reason the team felt OK about bringing in Tucker on Wednesday. Reid added: “We try to do our homework the best way possible. Make sure everything is okay.”
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Before 2026, Butker was a model of consistency on the field. The 31-year-old was coming off a nine-year stretch in which he made at least 84 percent of his field goals each season.
But Butker has had some uncharacteristic misses to start 2026. In addition to his two missed field goals against the Seahawks, Butker has missed three other field goal attempts so far, the majority of which came from 50+ yards, where Butker has made just 2 of 6 attempts this year.
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