Chiefs sign Justin Tucker to practice squad after 10-game suspension ends

The Kansas City Chiefs added veteran kicker Justin Tucker to their practice squad on Wednesday. The signing gives the five-time All-Pro a second opportunity in the league following a ten-game suspension for violating the personal conduct policy. Tucker will join a roster where kicking performance has become a point of scrutiny.

Tucker spent 13 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens before his departure in 2025. The Baltimore Banner reported in 2025 that sixteen massage therapists accused him of sexual misconduct at high-end spas. Tucker called those accusations unequivocally false and tabloid fodder. He was never criminally charged or sued in civil court, but the NFL suspended him for the first ten games of the 2025 season. He served that time as a free agent and became eligible for reinstatement last November.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Wednesday that Tucker has completed his suspension. Reid noted that the team had an open practice squad spot after working out Ben Sauls and Harrison Mevis. Reid confirmed that Harrison Butker will kick in Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos.

Butker has missed ten field-goal attempts and five extra points since the start of the previous season. Those numbers lead the league. He is currently the third-highest paid kicker in the NFL and carries the sixth-highest base salary on the Chiefs roster. Reid said Butker understands the business of the sport and that the team loves him. The coach acknowledged that Butker has been up and down but emphasized the need to pick it up and do better.

Tucker, who turns 37 next month, also struggled before leaving Baltimore. He missed ten kicks during the 2024 season, the highest total of his career. The Chiefs have a history of giving players second chances, having previously re-signed running back Kareem Hunt and punter Matt Araiza after public controversies.

Tucker has had minor past interactions with new teammates. Two years ago, before an AFC championship game in Baltimore, a dispute over equipment near the quarterback’s warm-up area led to tight end Travis Kelce kicking Tucker’s footballs and helmet away. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes said Wednesday that the incident did not create a longstanding beef between them. The Chiefs won that game 17-10 and went on to win their second straight Super Bowl.

Butker has also faced political controversy in Kansas City. He delivered a commencement address at Benedictine College where he suggested most female graduates were more excited about marriage and children than professional careers. He later formed a political action committee for the 2024 election to encourage Christians to vote for traditional values.