The Ravens have enjoyed historic levels of success in the kicking game for the past decade, and will likely be able to do so for many years into the future. The team announced on Monday an agreement with Justin Tucker on a four-year extension.
One week ago, Chris Boswell signed an extension with the Steelers. At a rate of $5MM per season, that deal placed him into a tie with Tucker atop the list of the league’s highest-paid kickers. The latter’s new deal, as expected, has moved him back into the lead; ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the deal includes $24MM in new money (for an AAV of $6MM), along with $17.5MM in guarantees and a signing bonus of $11.5MM.
The 32-year-old had two years remaining on his current deal, an extension signed in 2019. That contract was also four years in length, and carried a record-setting value of $5MM per season. Tucker was due $3.5MM in each of the next two years, but his scheduled cap hits were just under $6MM over that span.
After joining the team as a UDFA in 2012, the Texas alum won the starting job and has put together a decorated career since. A member of that year’s Super Bowl-wining team, he has been named a Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro five times each, and was a member of the 2010s All-Decade Team.
Tucker remains the most accurate kicker in NFL history, with a career mark of over 91%. Last season, he added to his collection of all-time records with a 66-yard field goal against the Lions. His success (and, perhaps to an extent, recent developments in the kicking world) has spurred another lucrative new deal.
With Tucker now on the books through 2027, the Ravens have even more certainty with respect to the league’s most decorated player at his position. The team entered the day with less than $8MM in cap space, so this deal may create some added wiggle room. In any event, Tucker’s long-term future is secure.