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Chiefs add Justin Tucker to practice squad after Butker misses five kicks

The Kansas City Chiefs signed Justin Tucker to their practice squad after Harrison Butker missed five of 16 field-goal attempts this season. Tucker is an eight-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler whose 66-yard field-goal record has been surpassed.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 5 outlets' reporting · Article text read from 3 of 5 outletsHow it's made

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5 outletsLatest reporting 3 min read
Coverage: MixedL 0 · C 3 · R 2
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Photo: Maryland GovPics / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

What happened

Key facts

  • The Kansas City Chiefs signed Justin Tucker to their practice squad (per foxbaltimore.com, CBS Sports, ESPN).
  • The Chiefs made the move after Harrison Butker struggled; ESPN reported that he had missed five of 16 field-goal attempts this season (per CBS Sports, ESPN, foxbaltimore.com).
  • Tucker is an eight-time All-Pro, seven-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl XLVII champion (per CBS Sports).
  • Tucker has not played in the NFL since 2024 (per ESPN, foxbaltimore.com).
  • Tucker's 66-yard field-goal record was surpassed by Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little, who made kicks of 67 and 68 yards (per CBS Sports).
  • The Baltimore Ravens released Tucker in May 2025 amid sexual misconduct allegations (per foxbaltimore.com, CBS Sports, ESPN).
  • Tucker was suspended for the first 10 games of the 2025 season for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy (per CBS Sports, ESPN, foxbaltimore.com).
  • Sixteen massage therapists accused Tucker of sexual misconduct; the reported allegations involved eight spas in the Baltimore area (per CBS Sports, ESPN, foxbaltimore.com).

The brief

The Kansas City Chiefs signed Justin Tucker to their practice squad after Harrison Butker struggled with field goals, bringing an eight-time All-Pro into the team’s kicking group. ESPN reported that Butker had missed five of 16 field-goal attempts this season.

The Chiefs’ signing was confirmed by CBS Sports, while ESPN said sources told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the move had been made. The move concerns Tucker’s practice-squad status, not a reported addition to the Chiefs’ 53-man roster. Tucker, 36, has not played in the NFL since 2024, according to ESPN and Fox Baltimore.

CBS Sports said he last played for the Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 19, 2025, and reported that his career field-goal conversion rate is 89.1%. Tucker’s NFL record for the longest field goal stood at 66 yards until Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little made kicks of 67 and 68 yards, CBS Sports reported.

The outlet described Tucker as an eight-time All-Pro, seven-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl XLVII champion. ESPN instead called him a five-time All-Pro. Those outlets therefore give different totals for his All-Pro selections; the other career honours and record information in the reports provide context for the Chiefs’ choice of an experienced kicker.

Tucker’s previous team, the Baltimore Ravens, released him in May 2025, according to CBS Sports and Fox Baltimore. The accounts link the release to sexual misconduct allegations.

CBS Sports reported that 16 accusers came forward in connection with eight Baltimore spas, while ESPN specified that 16 massage therapists accused Tucker of misconduct at eight high-end spas and wellness centers in the area. Fox Baltimore described the allegations as involving inappropriate behavior at spas between 2012 and 2016.

The allegations remain allegations in these reports. Fox Baltimore said the NFL suspended Tucker for the first 10 weeks of the 2025 season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy; CBS Sports and ESPN described the suspension as covering the first 10 games. None of the accounts reports a criminal conviction or civil finding against Tucker.

CBS Sports also said he remained unsigned after the suspension. For the Chiefs, the immediate context is Butker’s missed kicks, while Tucker’s track record and extended absence from NFL play are both relevant to the roster move.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid praised Butker after a game, telling CBS Sports, “He's been one of the most consistent kickers in football.” The reports do not say whether Tucker will move from the practice squad to the active roster or when the Chiefs could make that decision.

Why it matters

  • Butker’s missed five of 16 field-goal attempts give the Chiefs a documented performance concern; the practice-squad signing adds Tucker as another kicking option.
  • Tucker’s reported career conversion rate of 89.1% and his eight-time All-Pro status describe the record the Chiefs are adding to the practice squad.
  • Tucker’s NFL suspension and allegations are relevant to his return: the reports say 16 people accused him of misconduct in connection with eight Baltimore-area spas, and the league suspended him for the first 10 games of the 2025 season.

What to watch next

  • Whether the Chiefs move Tucker from the practice squad to the active roster.
  • Whether Tucker plays in an NFL game after last appearing for the Ravens on Jan. 19, 2025.
  • How the Chiefs address kicking duties while Butker has missed five of 16 field-goal attempts this season.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
6 source articles · 5 unique outlets
Outlet political mix: Mixed· 3 Center · 2 Right
Where the outlets are based: US/Canada 80% · Unknown 20%
Outlet political mix
Mixed
Left
Center
Right
0 outlets
3 outlets
2 outlets
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
5 unique outletsDominant coverage: US/Canada
Coverage imbalance
  • Coverage is currently concentrated among outlets based in US/Canada (4 of 5 geographically-identified sources).
How we measure coverage

How outlets' accounts compare

3 framing differences · 1 uncorroborated claim · 1 information gap
The reports repeat the same account with different emphasis; its central claims are not independently confirmed in the reporting Updat3 read.Compared across 3 reports whose article text Updat3 read; 2 other outlets were checked by headline only.
Framing / emphasis differences
Sources emphasise different angles, actors or consequences of the same reporting.
  • CBS Sports and Fox Baltimore describe Tucker as an eight-time All-Pro, while ESPN calls him a five-time All-Pro.
  • CBS Sports and Fox Baltimore give Tucker's All-Pro total as eight; ESPN gives five.
  • The reports differ on Tucker’s All-Pro count: CBS Sports and Fox Baltimore say eight, while ESPN says five.
Updat3: These are differences of emphasis, not disputes about what is reported. They do not show that the reported claims are true.
One-sided or uncorroborated claims
Claims that come from one party or one source family and are not independently corroborated.
  • Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said of Butker, “He's been one of the most consistent kickers in football,” according to CBS Sports.
Updat3: Not independently corroborated yet — treat as a claim, not an established fact.
Not established by the reporting
Information the available reporting does not contain or confirm. This is a gap, not a disagreement.
  • The accounts do not report a court ruling, criminal conviction or civil finding concerning the misconduct allegations.
Updat3: Updat3 cannot conclude anything about this from the current sources.

Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. The NFL’s personal conduct policy, first adopted in 1997, governs off-field conduct and has been revised over time.
    Background · from our historical context
  2. Tucker’s career began when Baltimore signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2012.
    Background · from our historical context
  3. He won a Super Bowl with the Ravens in February 2013 and became an eight-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler.
    Background · from our historical context
  4. In September 2021, Tucker set the NFL record with a 66-yard field goal; Jacksonville’s Cam Little later surpassed that mark with kicks of 67 and 68 yards.
    Background · from our historical context
  5. Justin Tucker last played in the NFL in 2024, after 13 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.
    Background · from our historical context
  6. The Baltimore Ravens released Tucker in May 2025 amid sexual misconduct allegations.
    Reported in this story's sourcesSource:ESPN

How we got here

Justin Tucker last played in the NFL in 2024, after 13 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. In May 2025, the Ravens released him amid allegations of sexual misconduct from 16 massage therapists at eight Baltimore-area spas; Tucker denied the allegations. The NFL suspended him for the first 10 games of the 2025 season for violating its personal conduct policy.

The NFL’s personal conduct policy, first adopted in 1997, governs off-field conduct and has been revised over time. Tucker’s career began when Baltimore signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He won a Super Bowl with the Ravens in February 2013 and became an eight-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler.

Original sources

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