Tuesday’s transaction report included a line that was expected but nevertheless somewhat jarring to see.
Kicker Justin Tucker had his suspension lifted.
Tucker agreed to a 10-week ban to cap a Personal Conduct Policy investigation regarding numerous allegations of misconduct during massage-therapy sessions. A free agent following his release by the Ravens, Tucker was able to serve the time without being on a team.
A five-time first-team All-Pro, Tucker spent 13 seasons in Baltimore. Last year was the worst of his career, with a field-goal success rate of 73.3 percent. (His previous low had been 82.5 percent, in 2015.)
Plenty of teams have kicker issues. On the surface, the question is whether any of them will give him a tryout.
But here’s the problem. Some teams may not want to do business with him, as a matter of princuple. Other teams may be concerned about the P.R. backlash from having any connection to him, even if it’s just to bring him in and see if he has rediscovered his pre-2024 form. And the fact that he’s no longer automatic from any distance makes it harder to justify a “second chance.” (In every sport, at all levels, excuses are made for the stars — and examples are made of the scrubs.)
Time will tell. Thirty-one teams can shout, “No!” It only takes one to whisper, “Yes.” And necessity can become the kind of desperation that can prompt a team to say, for example, “He was never accused of a crime. He was never sued. He served his suspension. He should be allowed to return to the NFL.”
Frankly, it also would wise for Tucker — who has aggressively proclaimed his innocence — to consider available P.R. strategies for making it easier for a team to come to the conclusion that it’s willing to take whatever heat it would get for giving him a chance to attempt field goals of various length on the practice field.
Again, these are decisions that the teams in need of a kicker will have to make, if/when they begin considering whether to hold a tryout and, if so, whether to invite Tucker to participate.