New York Jets work out Justin Tucker after misconduct suspension as team evaluates kickers
The New York Jets now have to weigh the same two files every other club has opened: the kicker who once finished games, and the player who served a 10-game ban and still has no contract.
The New York Jets brought in eight-time All-Pro kicker Justin Tucker for a workout on Wednesday, giving the 36-year-old free agent another look as the club keeps shopping for reliability at the position ahead of Week 1.
Tucker has not kicked in an NFL game since the 2024 season. The session came after New York already claimed Blake Grupe off waivers and parked Jason Sanders on the practice squad.
Three kickers in one session
The workout was not a private tryout. The Jets had 8x All-Pro Justin Tucker, Michael Badgley, and Josh Karty in for a workout today. The Jets recently claimed Blake Grupe off waivers and have Jason Sanders on the practice squad, but kicker is a position the team will continue to evaluate closely.
Why the New York Jets keep looking
Last season, the New York Jets got a strong year from Nick Folk, who made 28 of 29 field goals. They still let him walk in free agency. Jason Sanders then beat Cade York in camp, only to miss a field goal and an extra point in the preseason finale against the Giants. That is why Grupe was claimed and why Sanders is now on the practice squad rather than locked in as the Week 1 kicker.
A workout is not a signing. None of the three visitors was immediately added after Wednesday’s session.
Allegations, suspension and Justin Tucker’s denial
Justin Tucker’s path back has been messy. On January 30, 2025, the Baltimore Banner reported that six massage therapists accused him of inappropriate sexual conduct during sessions. Three more came forward on February 1, and seven others followed later that month. In total, 16 therapists across eight Baltimore-area spas described incidents they said happened between 2012 and 2016.
Tucker answered on social media the same day the first report landed. He called the claims “unequivocally false” and “desperate tabloid fodder.” He has also said the allegations are “false and incredibly hurtful to both me and, more importantly, my family.” He has not been charged criminally and has not been sued in civil court.
Baltimore released him in May 2025. The NFL then suspended him for the first 10 games of the 2025 season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. After the ban ended, he worked out for the Saints and the Colts. Neither team signed him.
Hall of Fame resume, late-career slump
For years, Justin Tucker was the standard. He made first- or second-team All-Pro every season from 2016 through 2022. His career field-goal rate of 89.1 percent ranks among the best in league history, and he still owns the NFL record 66-yard kick.
2024 was different. He converted 22 of 30 field goals, a 73 percent clip that ranked near the bottom among kickers with at least 30 attempts. That slump, plus the off-field case, ended his 13-year run in Baltimore.
The Jets now have to weigh the same two files every other club has opened: the kicker who once finished games, and the player who served a 10-game ban and still has no contract. Wednesday was due diligence, not a reunion. If New York wants a veteran with range, Tucker is still available. If it wants a quieter locker room and a cleaner public story, Grupe and Sanders remain on the depth chart.