The Baltimore Ravens are facing their toughest special-teams challenge in years. After 13 seasons of rock-solid kicking, John Harbaugh made the brutal call to part ways with their franchise legend this offseason. The move shocked fans, but off-field issues and slipping performance left the Ravens no choice. By this time, you must be aware that we are talking about none other than the controversial figure, Justin Tucker. After releasing him, Baltimore’s kicking game is now in flux. And it’s not going smoothly as well.
Rookie sixth-round pick Tyler Loop had a rough minicamp, missing two of four kicks, including extra points. Meanwhile, undrafted free agent John Hoyland looked sharp, drilling all four of his attempts. The competition is wide open, but replacing a legend is never easy. For years, the Ravens’ kicking game was a strength. Now? It’s a question mark. But while Baltimore moves on, this controversial legend just landed a surprising honor—one that proves his legacy isn’t fading anytime soon.
ESPN just included Justin Tucker in their prestigious 25-year NFL roster, but the timing couldn’t be more awkward. The longtime Ravens kicker landed on the all-time list just weeks after getting cut by Baltimore, the only team he’s ever played for, while still dealing with unresolved sexual misconduct allegations. Nevertheless, ESPN’s Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder have nothing but to add praise for the NFLer, ranking him on top of the kicker list. They said, “The recently released Tucker is clearly the best kicker in these 25 years — and perhaps ever. If we compare him to other top contenders such as Adam Vinatieri, Sebastian Janikowski, Phil Dawson and Robbie Gould, Tucker recorded a higher field goal percentage from 40-44 yards, 45-49 yards and 50-54 yards.” Not only that!
Walder also added NFL Next Gen Stats, saying: “He [Tucker] also had the most field goals made over expectation (24.5, with no other player reaching 17) and the most win probability added among kickers (plus-78%) since 2017.” Well, all these recognitions come as Tucker finds himself in career limbo. On one hand, the numbers don’t lie – his 89.1% field goal accuracy and clutch kicks earned him a spot among the NFL’s best. On the other hand, serious off-field questions remain unanswered since the Ravens decided to move on from their franchise kicker.
No doubt, it’s a strange moment for Tucker’s legacy. Meanwhile, the Ravens are scrambling to replace the most accurate kicker in NFL history with unproven rookies in camp. This situation puts fans in an uncomfortable spot. How do you celebrate a player’s on-field greatness when there are serious off-field questions still hanging over them? For now, Tucker’s place in NFL history is secure statistically, even as his actual career hangs in the balance.
John Harbaugh’s special teams challenge
The Ravens cut ties with Justin Tucker on May 5, 2025, for “football reasons.” It was a move that came while the NFL was still looking into his misconduct allegations against the veteran kicker. However, Tucker has firmly denied the accusations, calling them “simply not true.” HC John Harbaugh called it “a complex decision-making process,” but insisted the move was about football. “You’re talking about arguably the best kicker in the history of the game,” Harbaugh said after OTAs. “It’s multi-layered, it’s complicated. But in the end, it all comes back to what you have to do to get ready for your team to play the first game.”
He doubled down, framing it as purely practical, “We’ve got to have a kicker ready to go. And that was the move we decided to make. So in that sense, it’s a football decision.” Tucker’s release ended a 13-year run in Baltimore, where he set the NFL’s all-time field goal accuracy record (89.103%) and earned five All-Pro nods.
Now, the Ravens are struggling to replace him with two rookies: Tyler Loop and undrafted Wyoming product John Hoyland. “We’ve got a competition going on. And [we’ve got to] get these guys ready to make kicks,” said Harbaugh, a former special-teams coordinator. “From my perspective, it’s like, ‘We have to have a kicker out there making kicks.”
Anyway, the ESPN panel’s 25-year roster didn’t just honor Tucker—it read like a who’s who of NFL greatness. Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder’s selections included no-doubt legends like Tom Brady slinging passes, Peyton Manning calling audibles, Derrick Henry bulldozing defenders, and Justin Jefferson making circus catches.
So here we are: Ravens now face their first season since 2012 without Tucker’s automatic leg, while the kicker himself remains in professional purgatory. This ESPN honor – arriving at such an awkward crossroads – may ultimately become either a career capstone or an odd footnote, depending on what comes next. For a specialist whose entire job was clarity between the uprights, nothing seems certain anymore!
The post Released by John Harbaugh, Controversial Ravens Legend Makes ESPN’s Quarter Century Roster appeared first on EssentiallySports.
