Harrison Butker’s troubling record so far has pushed the Chiefs to bring in a reinforcement: former Ravens kicker Justin Tucker. While the move bolsters Kansas City’s special teams, it does refresh a bad memory involving Tucker, Patrick Mahomes, and Travis Kelce. The Chiefs quarterback did not express eagerness, or disappointment, at the new signing.
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“I mean, we have a lot of people that have kind of added in and out, I try not to get too high or too low on anything,” Mahomes said in the October 28 presser. “But I know they do a great job of bringing great players in. But for me, it is about the Denver Broncos and moving on and continue to get better. We have a lot of stuff that we have to clean up.”
Justin Tucker is not just any new player joining the Kansas City Chiefs. He comes to the red and gold with 13 years of experience under his belt, and seven Pro Bowl nods. In 212 games, he has made 417 of 468 field-goal attempts and 524 of 532 extra-point attempts. Tucker has succeeded on more than 90% of his field goal attempts in six of his 13 seasons.
Justin Tucker comes to Kansas City at a tough time. Through six games in 2026, Harrison Butker has made just 11 of 16 field-goal attempts, missing five. His struggles were clear against the Seattle Seahawks on October 25, when he missed two field goals in the Chiefs’ 20–3 loss.
Those missed kicks cost Kansas City valuable scoring chances and made it harder for the team to fight back. Even head coach Andy Reid made it clear after the game that he will have to make changes in his gameplay.
“Right now, his technique’s off a bit,” Reid said. “It’s not as consistent as he wants it to be. Things happen.”
However, Tucker does not come to Kansas City with a clean record. He was released by the Ravens last year, months after shocking developments accusing him of physically inappropriate behavior by massage therapists. Tucker was suspended for 10 games for violating the personal conduct policy. But Andy Reid believes the kicker has done his due.
“He’s done his suspension, you know? Took care of that business,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Wednesday, “and I’ll leave it at that.”
That has sparked some conversation among Chiefs fans. He is returning to the gridiron after a full year of being away, and 2024 was his poorest season statistically. It was the first time his field goal success rate fell to the 70s.
That’s not the only wrinkle to be addressed here. Tucker also has history with Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce.
Patrick Mahomes addresses 2024 incident with Justin Tucker
Ahead of the 2023 AFC Championship Game, Kelce and Mahomes were seen chucking away Tucker’s kicking tee during warmups. It seemed like they were bothered by the kicker being in that space. Kelce also tossed away Tucker’s footballs placed on the ground for him to practice. The kicker was right there, stretching on the ground.
“I mean, the relationships, we haven’t had a lot of conversations cuz he’s obviously on the Ravens and I was on the Chiefs. But it wasn’t like we ever had any beef or anything like that,” Mahomes said. “I think at that moment, it was just competitors being competitors. And it was a big moment for everybody’s career, and you’re playing the AFC Championship Game.
“And he’s been a big-time kicker for a long time. And me and Trav were obviously competing and we wanted to go out there and win. And that stuff happened, but then you move on from that. I mean, at the end of the day, we’re just playing a game.”
Before the game begins, each team is assigned their side of the field for practice. Kickers have the freedom to use both endzones to account for the wind during warm-ups. But Kelce, on the New Heights podcast, explained the unwritten rule that if opponent kickers do need to use their side, they “stay out of the way.” But according to Kelce, Tucker was not honoring it the right way.
“If you want to be a f—ing d— about it, you keep your helmet and your football and your kicking tee right where the quarterbacks are warming up,” he said on the podcast, as a dig at Tucker. “And they’re dropping, eyes are looking left, and they got a helmet down by their feet.”
Everybody has since moved on from that incident. Tucker also addressed the incident after the game, and said that it was all just some “gamesmanship” and “in good fun.” But Kelce noted he and Mahomes were in a different mindset for this game all week, and were not in the mood to joke around. But he was able to let the incident sit in the past.
“Justin, sorry if we took it to a level that you didn’t think it’d get to that way. But if you’re gonna be a d— about it, I promise you, I can one-up you every time,” Kelce added, laughing.
Now, this might also increase a bit of a competition between Harrison Butker and Tucker, but Reid is not worried about it.
“He’s one of my favorite guys,” Reid said after signing Tucker. “And sometimes things don’t go quite the way you want them, and you work on that. So, he understands the business and how it works. And we had a practice squad position open, and so, for security, we brought (Tucker) in and put him in that spot that we had open. Butker gets it.”
Justin Tucker could be a solid addition to the Kansas City Chiefs because of his experience and career record. Let’s wait and see if he gets the chance he deserves or not.