Justin Tucker


Justin Paul Tucker is an American football placekicker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He played college football for the University of Texas and was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He is the most accurate placekicker in NFL history.

Early years

Tucker graduated from Westlake High School, in Austin, Texas. At Westlake, he was a teammate of Nick Foles, the current quarterback of the Chicago Bears. He played in the 2008 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

College career

Tucker attended the University of Texas and played on the Texas Longhorns football team. In 2011, concluding a rivalry that saw Texas A&M University and the University of Texas square off 118 times over 117 years, he kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired. Texas, then ranked No. 25, won 27–25. While attending the University of Texas, Tucker majored in Music with a degree path in Recording Technologies.

Professional career

Baltimore Ravens

An undrafted free agent in the 2012 NFL Draft, Tucker was not selected by any of the 32 teams. However, the Baltimore Ravens signed him on May 29, 2012 to begin workouts and camp for the Ravens alongside placekicker Billy Cundiff. After impressive showings and accurate field goals during the team's preseason games, Tucker earned the starting job as the Ravens official placekicker upon Cundiff's release from his contract with Baltimore on August 26, 2012.

2012 season

In his debut season, Tucker proved to be a very accurate kicker, making all 42 of his PAT attempts and missing only three out of his 35 field goals. During Week 3 against the New England Patriots, Tucker kicked a game-winning field goal with two seconds left, giving the Ravens a 31–30 victory and their first-ever regular season victory over the Patriots. On January 12, 2013, during the divisional playoff round game against the Denver Broncos, Tucker kicked a 47-yard field goal in double overtime to win the game and sent the Ravens to the AFC championship for the second consecutive year.
During the second quarter of Super Bowl XLVII against the San Francisco 49ers, Tucker failed in converting the first fake field goal attempt in Super Bowl history, coming up just one yard short of the nine needed for the first down. Nonetheless, his two fourth-quarter field goals secured a Ravens victory, earning Tucker his first Super Bowl ring.

2013 season

Despite missing two field goals in Week 2 against the Cleveland Browns, Tucker continued his success as an accurate kicker for the Ravens. He kicked the game-winning field goal in overtime against the Cincinnati Bengals, letting the Ravens win 20-17. He was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for November. On Thanksgiving, Tucker kicked five field goals en route to the Ravens' 22–20 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was also selected as the player of the game along with Jacoby Jones by John Madden. He brought his holder, Sam Koch and long snapper, Morgan Cox, to accept the award on screen with him.
In 2013, Tucker kicked a franchise record-tying six field goals that were the Ravens' only points in an 18–16 win against the Detroit Lions in an Monday Night Football game at Ford Field in Detroit on December 16, including a personal record 61-yard field goal in the last minute to seal the victory. During the game, Tucker became the first kicker in NFL history to kick a field goal in the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s in the same game. Tucker's 61-yard field goal also set the NFL record for longest field goal in a domed stadium. Tucker was elected to his first Pro Bowl to end the 2013 season. He was also voted 1st team All-Pro by AP voters.

2016 season

On February 26, 2016, the Ravens placed the franchise tag on Tucker. Tucker signed the franchise tender on March 4, 2016, which would pay him $4.5 million.
Tucker signed a four-year, $16.8 million extension on July 15, 2016.
In Week 12 of the 2016 season against the Bengals, Tucker kicked four field goals, three for over 50 yards in a 19-14 win, earning him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. In Week 15 against the Eagles, Tucker tied the NFL single-season record for 10 field goals of more than 50 yards. He was named to his second Pro Bowl, his first since 2013, as a result of his successful 2016 season and was named First-team All-Pro for the second time in his career.

2017 season

In 2017, Tucker converted 34 of 37 field goals and was a perfect 39-for-39 on extra points. He was named second-team All-Pro for the 2017 season.

2018 season

In Week 3 of the 2018 season, Tucker made two 50+ yard field goals and three extra points in a 27-14 win over the Denver Broncos, earning him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. He was later named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September. On October 21, 2018, Justin Tucker missed his first career extra point attempt against the New Orleans Saints with 24 seconds left in the game, resulting in a 24-23 loss in a game that would have otherwise gone to overtime. In Week 17, Tucker converted all four field goals and two extra point attempts in a 26-24 win over the Cleveland Browns, earning him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. Tucker became the first player in NFL history with six seasons of 30 or more made field goals.

2019 season

On April 24, 2019, Tucker signed a four-year, $23.05 million contract extension with $12 million guaranteed, keeping him under contract through the 2023 season. In Week 5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tucker hit all four field goals, including a game-tying 48-yarder and a 46-yard game-winner in overtime, earning him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
In the following week's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Tucker made 3 field goals and 2 PATs en route to another AFC special teams player of the week. On November 3, in a game against the New England Patriots, Tucker missed his first kick of the season and his second PAT of his career. The Ravens still went on to win 37–20. On December 1, in a game against the 49ers, he made a 49-yard game winning kick.

Ravens franchise records

;Regular season
†Denotes Super Bowl–winning season
Led the league

Personal life

Tucker is a devout Catholic and makes the sign of the cross before every kick. Tucker is also a classically trained bass-baritone, and in the past has been asked by both the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and New York Opera for performances, although was unable to comply. In 2015, Tucker was contracted by Royal Farms to sing in their line of commercials. Even more recently, Tucker sang "Ave Maria" for a Catholic Charities benefit concert with the Concert Artists of Baltimore. His opera talents also led Tucker through to the finals of the Most Valuable Performer, a talent show featuring talent performances of NFL players, where he won thanks to his rendition of Ave Maria. As a result of his victory, he received a ring and won $50,000 for his charity through the Baltimore School for the Arts. He also revealed that he is a licensed real estate agent.
Tucker married Amanda Bass in March 2015. Their first child, Easton, was born on May 10, 2016 and they live in Maryland. Tucker is popular among Ravens fans with many of them naming their children, dogs and even a prize pig after the Ravens kicker.