"Travis Kelce really broke Justin Tucker" - Former Chiefs WR points to TE for Ravens kicker's downfall
Baltimore Ravens (7-3) kicker Justin Tucker is one of the best kickers in NFL history, and there's no question about it. However, 2024 has been a rough season for the future Hall of Fame kicker.
Heading into Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2), Tucker missed five field goals, hitting 14-of-19 attempts. His struggles continued today against the Steelers as he missed two first-half field goals that would have given the Ravens a lead at halftime. Tucker missed field goal tries from 47 and 50 yards out.
Amid Tucker's struggles, former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Gehrig Dieter thinks Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce cursed Tucker.
During last year's AFC Championship game, Tucker was stretching where Patrick Mahomes usually warms up. Kelce threw Tucker's set of kick balls and helmet to the side, causing Tucker to get in with the Chiefs players.
Gehrig tweeted that Kelce broke Tucker.
"Kelce really broke Justin Tucker!"
Tucker is undoubtedly having the worst season of his career. Before the latest game, he had a career-low field goal percentage of 78.9 before today's struggles, and he missed one extra point. Last season, Tucker only made one of five field goal attempts from 50+ yards. He's two of six this season in that stat with today's miss.
Could the Baltimore Ravens move on from Justin Tucker after this season?
In 2022, Justin Tucker became the highest-paid kicker in the NFL when he signed a four-year $24 million contract extension with $17.5 million guaranteed. He was already under contract on his current deal this season, so Tucker is officially under contract through the 2027 season.
With the veteran NFL star struggling since the end of last season, the Baltimore Ravens might want to look at their future kicker options, but it would be tough to move on from Tucker in the next few years without taking on some dead cap space.
Tucker can opt out of his contract after the 2025 season, which would make him a free agent.
The Ravens and Tucker better hope Tucker can step up his game and fix his kicking woes, as special teams play is always crucial to successful playoff runs.
Do you think Justin Tucker will turn it around this season?