The Kansas City Chiefs are signing kicker Justin Tucker to their practice squad, a source told Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star on Wednesday morning. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter relayed the report, and The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones said his own sources confirmed it.
As of 8 a.m. Central, the Chiefs had not announced the signing, and contract terms have not been reported.
Tucker, 36, hasn’t kicked in a regular-season game since 2024. He arrives three days after Harrison Butker missed two field goals in Kansas City’s first loss of the season.
Why now
The Chiefs lost 20-3 at Seattle on Sunday night and fell to 5-1. Butker came up short on a 58-yard try at the end of the first half, made a 50-yarder in the third quarter, then pushed a 45-yarder wide right with just under nine minutes left, according to The Kansas City Star.
“He’s been one of the most consistent kickers in football, but he’s off a bit, so we’ve got to fix it,” Andy Reid said afterward.
Sunday wasn’t a one-off. Butker missed an extra point and a field goal the week before in a 22-6 win over the Chargers, and he is 11 of 16 on field goals this season (68.8%). He’s 9 of 10 inside 50 yards and 2 of 6 from 50 and beyond, per CBS Sports. His 15 missed kicks since the start of last season, 10 field goals and five extra points, are the most in the league.
“It either goes in or it doesn’t,” Butker said after the game. “And unfortunately, there’s been some kicks that haven’t gone in.”
Neither the Chiefs nor Butker has commented on the Tucker signing. Jones reported that Tucker joins Kansas City “amid starter Harrison Butker’s struggles.” The day before McDowell’s report, Jason Anderson of 810 Sports said he was told the Chiefs had at least one kicker in town working out and that a practice squad signing was likely, Arrowhead Pride noted.
Moving on from Butker during the season isn’t a simple call. He signed a four-year, $25.6 million extension in August 2024 that included $17.8 million guaranteed, NFL.com reported at the time, and the deal runs through 2028. The Star wrote Monday that cutting him in-season would carry significant financial consequences.
Tucker’s track record
For most of 13 seasons in Baltimore, Tucker was the standard at the position. He made 417 of 468 career field goals (89.1%) and 524 of 532 extra points, per ESPN. When the Ravens released him, that was the best career field goal percentage in league history. Pro Football Reference’s career leaderboard now lists him second, behind Cameron Dicker. He’s a seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time first-team All-Pro, and his 66-yarder in 2021 stood as the NFL record until Jacksonville’s Cam Little topped it twice last season, the AP noted.
His last season was his worst. Tucker went 22 of 30 on field goals in 2024 (73.3%), a career low, and 6 of 11 from 50-plus. He also missed two of his 62 extra points.
How he got here
The Ravens released Tucker on May 5, 2025. General manager Eric DeCosta called it a “football decision,” NFL.com reported. At the time, the league was investigating accusations, first reported by the Baltimore Banner, from 16 massage therapists at eight Baltimore-area spas who said Tucker behaved inappropriately during sessions between 2012 and 2016. Tucker has denied the allegations. He was never charged criminally or sued civilly, according to NBC Sports.
In June 2025, the NFL suspended him without pay for the first 10 weeks of that season for violating its personal conduct policy. He became eligible for reinstatement on Nov. 11, 2025.
Since then he has worked out for the Saints, Colts, Jets and Dolphins without signing. The Dolphins worked him out on Oct. 20 and signed Zane Gonzalez instead.
How the practice squad works
Tucker won’t be on the 53-man roster, so he can only play Sunday if the Chiefs elevate him. Teams can carry up to six veterans with unlimited experience on a 16-man practice squad, under the NFL’s practice squad rules.
A club can elevate up to two practice squad players for a game, and the player goes back to the practice squad afterward without passing through waivers. Each player can be elevated for a maximum of three regular-season games in a season. After that, the team has to sign him to the 53-man roster to use him again.
That gives Kansas City room to bring Tucker in, watch him kick in practice and use him for up to three games without committing a roster spot.
What to watch
The Chiefs play at Denver on Sunday (3:25 p.m. CT, CBS), then host the Jets on Nov. 8. The first things to watch are the official transaction, any comment from Reid or special teams coordinator Dave Toub when the team meets with reporters this week, and the elevations the day before the game.
If Tucker is elevated for the Broncos game, it would be his first regular-season game since the 2024 season. If he isn’t, Butker keeps the job for now, with a former All-Pro kicking behind him every day in practice.
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