John Harbaugh addresses Justin Tucker situation: ‘We’re looking at kickers’
“We’re looking at kickers. … I’d say the kicker position would’ve been a priority no matter what.”
The NFL Scouting Combine offers teams a chance to evaluate young players, but for Baltimore Ravens executives, Tuesday in Indianapolis brought tough media questions about their oldest player.
It’s no surprise Justin Tucker’s situation would become a topic at the combine. The team has been silent in recent weeks amid sexual misconduct allegations against the eight-time All-Pro kicker. The Baltimore Banner published a report Jan. 30 alleging Tucker engaged in “inappropriate behavior” at four high-end spas and wellness centers between 2012-16.
Since then, more than a dozen massage therapists have accused Tucker of inappropriate sexual conduct. Tucker has called the allegations “unequivocally false.”
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and general manager Eric DeCosta both addressed the issue Tuesday.
“It’s not what you want to wake up and read,” Harbaugh said.
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“The NFL’s looking into it. They’re going to review it, they’re going to try to gather all the facts, and hopefully we’ll have an understanding of it at that time, and then once there’s an understanding of it, then you have a chance to make some determinations.”
Tucker, the NFL’s all-time leader in field goal percentage (89.1%), had the worst season of his career, missing eight field goal attempts and two extra points. Now, he’s under investigation for inappropriate behavior. Harbaugh said the Ravens will be “looking at kickers” in the offseason, but seemed to indicate the Ravens would have been doing that anyway given Tucker’s performance woes in 2024.
“Every position’s important. We’re going to look at every single position, but certainly different years you look at different positions. We’re looking at kickers,” Harbaugh said. “We’re looking at a lot of positions — we’re looking at every position, but I’d say the kicker position would’ve been a priority no matter what because Justin’s our kicker… We love him and I would’ve always expected him to keep going forever, but nobody goes forever.”
“The allegations are serious, concerning. The amount of allegations are serious and concerning,” DeCosta said. “I think we’re fortunate that the league is doing an investigation. We’ll wait as patiently as we can for as much information as we can and we’ll make our decisions based on that.”
These are not the type of questions any head coach or general manager wants to address. Kudos to Harbaugh and DeCosta for being direct in their responses.
The NFL’s recent salary cap increase has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for teams across the NFL this offseason. The free agency period is always rich, as teams consistently shell out money to bring in new stars and hope to change the future of their franchise.
For teams like the Baltimore Ravens, they’ll be looking to add depth to an already sturdy roster. However, with their estimated cap space sitting at $12.9 million, general manager Eric DeCosta could afford to reel in a star to further strengthen their dominance on both sides of the football. From key starters to strong depth, let’s look at three players the Ravens could add who could be difference-makers in 2025.
