The New Orleans Saints have been going through their options at kicker after an ugly 24-10 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. While the special teams may not be the sole cause, kicker Blake Grupe‘s performance was enough to trigger head coach Kellen Moore. The team turned to placekicker Justin Tucker and has finally made up its mind about him, per reporter Giana Han. And it’s not a good update for the Super Bowl champion.

“Justin Tucker, who the Ravens say they cut due to football reasons prior to the NFL handing out his suspension, did not win the kicking battle,” Han wrote on X.

Han’s confirmed via X that the Saints didn’t pick the former Baltimore Ravens kicker. So, who made it to the practice squad? According to Nick Underhill of The Athletic, Moore has signed kicker Cade York to turn around the condition of his special teams unit. The Saints brought in both Tucker and York for tryouts on Monday before reaching their final decision.

A standout from Louisiana State University’s football program, he became part of the Cleveland Browns in 2022. He last played with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2024, filling in for the injured kicker Evan McPherson in five games and recording a field goal percentage of 69.2. As for Tucker, this was his first workout since being reinstated on November 11.

The NFL suspended the kicker for the tournament’s first 10 weeks for violating the personal conduct policy. After spending 13 years with the Ravens, Tucker has earned multiple accolades, including Pro Bowls and All-Pro honors. However, the team released him in May 2022 after a Baltimore Banner report. It revealed that 16 massage therapists from eight different spas around the city had accused Tucker of sexual misconduct. Ahead of the workout, coach Moore praised Tucker while weighing in on his next move.

“Our personnel group will do a really good job of collecting all that information and having the conversations we have to have as we go through this,” Moore said. “He’s been a really good kicker for a really long time.”

While York gets his fresh chance with the Saints, the team has shared a big update on Grupe. 

Amid Justin Tucker’s loss, the Saints release Grupe

The Week 12 game was a nightmare for the Saints, and going through the film session must have been frustrating. After missing multiple opportunities, the team had to settle for only one goal. Grupe missed two goals in the game, making it easy for Moore to move on from him. Yep, the team released the kicker on Tuesday after he failed to deliver on many occasions this season, according to ESPN.

Grupe leaves after missing eight field goals and connecting on just 69.2% of his attempts, a career low. The team hadn’t tried kickers this season, but that changed this week. Still, Moore had insisted that his move didn’t automatically mean that Grupe’s position was in danger. The head coach even praised the player while reacting calmly to his performance.

“Blake’s a good kicker in this league,” he said. “Obviously, it’s unfortunate we’ve missed a few lately and so he’s had some really good moments.”

Now, it seems Moore has had enough. After all, the Saints’ playoff hopes are slipping away as they sit at the bottom of the NFC South. But even if the postseason feels out of reach, the coach would like to close the year on a stronger note.