The Baltimore Ravens are in a rather tight spot right now. Right at the start of May, they cut their veteran kicker, Justin Tucker. And now it appears they are going all-in with the rookie Tyler Loop, who joined the team through the draft this year. But it wasn’t a simple decision. Cutting a player who has spent 13 whole seasons with a franchise would be hard for any team. Let alone the guy who’s notably the greatest placekicker ever to set foot on the gridiron. But the Ravens did what they had to do after careful consideration, and now Justin Tucker’s absence is felt by a Ravens player more than ever.
The decision to cut him from the Ravens wasn’t because of his stats, it was in spite of it. Justin Tucker faces several counts of alleged inappropriate sexual behavior from multiple massage therapists. It’s why the Ravens had to let him go. But if you talk about his football talent, to say Justin Tucker was one of the best would be an understatement. The guy holds the longest field goal record (66 yards) and also boasts a career field goal percentage of 89.1%. So, it’s natural that the locker room feels the gap he has created in his wake. And it is felt most by a Ravens cornerback.
Marlon Humphrey recently took to X to share his thoughts on Justin Tucker leaving. “I just watched a victory IG clip…imma miss Tucker lowkey. Team meetings won’t be the same,” Humphrey wrote on his X handle. But as Marlon Humphrey notices the Tucker-shaped hole in the wall, team HC John Harbaugh has also addressed the situation for the first time since the Ravens cut Tucker. On the presser after their recent OTAs, Harbaugh explained that the decision involved the entire front office. He also explained, “It was a complex decision-making process,” and further clarified their stance. “You’re talking about arguably the best kicker in the history of the game, and like we said, it’s multilayered. 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,” Harbaugh said.
I just watched a victory IG live clip…imma miss Tucker lowkey. Team meetings won’t be the same
— marlonhumphrey.eth (@marlon_humphrey) May 30, 2025
John Harbaugh further doubled down, saying, “I think if you step back and take a look at all the issues and all the ramifications, you can understand that we’ve got to get our football team ready, and we’ve got to have a kicker ready to go. That was the move that we decided to make, so in that sense, it’s a football decision.” And in the wake of this decision, the responsibility of kicker falls on the shoulders of rookie Tyler Loop. But is he ready to follow in the footsteps of the greatest kicker the NFL has ever produced?
Justin Tucker’s out, Tyler Loop’s all-in
When the Ravens drafted Tyler Loop this year, they were perhaps already gearing up for a team without Justin Tucker. This will be the perfect chance for Loop to show his skills. And he had impressed the coaches way before the draft. It was John Harbaugh who called Loops to tell him he was drafted. “Randy believes in you. – He showed me the tape. You’re going to have an awesome career.” Special teams coach Randy Brown was the one who’d picked out Loop. “There’s one guy that I really covet.” Brown had told GM Eric DeCosta.
Tyler Loop had already gotten some major practice under Randy Brown when the minicamps started. And if the comments from the front office are any indication, he will be a great addition to the Ravens. As Harbaugh had notably said once, “He’s one of these guys [who is] a kicking nerd, and you like to see that… He’s really into every detail and technique, and he studied Justin a lot and a lot of other guys, too.” And his rookie minicamp performance had clearly left the HC impressed. After seeing Loop kick in person at the minicamps, Harbaugh had noted, “It was good to see it… I think as much as anything, it’s good to hear a kicker, and the way the ball comes off his foot is impressive.”
As the training camps continue, the team will help Tyler Loop get plenty more experience. He’s already studied Justin Tucker, so he knows the skills and delivery that is expected of him. The only question when September comes around will be if he can match that performance or not. The mission for the whole team is pretty straightforward. As tight end Isiah Likely put it recently, “I feel like everybody got the memo after the last game of the season… We want the ultimate goal, which is to win and hold that trophy.”
The post Ravens Superstar Saddened by Justin Tucker’s Exit as John Harbaugh Confirms Complex Decision appeared first on EssentiallySports.
