Justin Tucker, once the most celebrated kicker in NFL history, finds himself auditioning for a roster spot with the New York Jets — a humbling circumstance shaped equally by the weight of unresolved misconduct allegations and the quiet erosion of his once-elite performance. Sixteen massage therapists accused him of sexual misconduct between 2012 and 2016; he has denied everything, was never charged, and no civil suits were filed. Yet the league has rendered its own informal verdict, team by team, in the form of silence. His story sits at the uncomfortable intersection of due process, instituti
Justin Tucker seeks NFL return with Jets workout amid unresolved spa allegations
16 female massage therapists reported allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior during sessions between 2012 and 2016.
Teams weigh a player's baggage against his performance.
Mark
So Tucker was one of the greatest kickers ever. Why is he struggling to find work now?
Mimi
He's 36, coming off his worst season statistically, and there are unresolved allegations of sexual misconduct from massage therapists. Teams are weighing all of that together.
Luke
But let's be precise: the allegations are unresolved because he was never criminally charged and no civil suits were filed. That's different from proven.
Mimi
Right. He denies them entirely. His legal team presented some evidence they say undermines the accusations—like an email from one accuser thanking him. But that one email doesn't settle anything.
Mark
How does this compare to what happened with Deshaun Watson?
Mimi
Watson faced allegations from more than two dozen therapists, settled 23 civil lawsuits, got an 11-game suspension, and the Browns still gave him a fully guaranteed $230 million contract. He's been a disappointment since.
Luke
So the Browns made a bet on a young franchise quarterback in his prime. The Ravens released Tucker, a kicker in decline. Those are different calculations.
Mark
Has Tucker worked out for other teams?
Mimi
Yes. The Saints and Colts both passed on him after workouts.
Luke
So we don't know if the Jets will sign him either. This is still an open question.
Mark
What happens next?
Mimi
We wait to see if the Jets offer him a contract. If they don't, he'll likely keep looking or step away from football.
Der Puls
- Sixteen women came forward with accounts of misconduct spanning four years and eight spas — allegations serious enough to end a 13-season tenure with the Ravens, even without a criminal charge or civil lawsuit.
- Tucker's legal team has pushed back publicly, presenting evidence they argue casts doubt on the accusations, but the court of NFL front offices has remained unmoved across multiple workout opportunities.
- The shadow of Deshaun Watson looms over every decision — a cautionary tale of a franchise betting hundreds of millions on an accused player, only to watch both the gamble and the quarterback collapse.
- Tucker's own numbers have betrayed him at the worst possible moment: a career-low 73.3 percent field-goal rate in 2024 strips away the argument that his talent alone justifies absorbing the controversy.
- The Jets workout is his latest audition in a quiet tour of rejection — Saints, Colts, now New York — each team weighing unproven allegations against declining production and arriving at the same answer.
Justin Tucker, once the most celebrated kicker in NFL history, finds himself auditioning for a roster spot with the New York Jets — a humbling circumstance shaped equally by the weight of unresolved misconduct allegations and the quiet erosion of his once-elite performance. Sixteen massage therapists accused him of sexual misconduct between 2012 and 2016; he has denied everything, was never charged, and no civil suits were filed. Yet the league has rendered its own informal verdict, team by team, in the form of silence. His story sits at the uncomfortable intersection of due process, institutional risk calculation, and the finite shelf life of athletic excellence.
Justin Tucker worked out for the New York Jets on Wednesday, joining two other kicker candidates in what has become a recurring and so far fruitless effort to reclaim a place in professional football. He has not played since the 2024 season, having served a 10-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy before the Baltimore Ravens released him in May 2025 after 13 seasons together.
The allegations at the center of his absence were reported by The Baltimore Banner in January 2025: sixteen female massage therapists accused Tucker of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior during sessions at Baltimore-area spas between 2012 and 2016. Tucker has denied the allegations entirely. He was never criminally charged, and no civil lawsuits were filed. His legal team, speaking publicly through OutKick in June 2025, presented materials they argued undermined the accusations — including a thank-you email from one accuser sent when Tucker canceled a spa membership in 2016. The evidence raised questions without resolving them.
Comparisons to Deshaun Watson have been unavoidable. Watson faced allegations from more than two dozen massage therapists, settled 23 civil suits, and still received a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract from the Cleveland Browns. The bet failed — Watson never returned to form. The Ravens chose differently with Tucker, cutting him rather than absorbing the reputational cost.
The distinction matters in practical terms as well. Watson was a franchise quarterback in his prime when Cleveland made its gamble. Tucker is nearly 37, and his 2024 season was the worst of his career — a 73.3 percent field-goal rate that gave teams a statistical reason to hesitate alongside the personal ones. He has worked out for the Saints and Colts without result. Whether the Jets will reach a different conclusion remains an open question, but the pattern so far suggests that for Tucker, the combination of uncertainty and diminished performance has proven to be too much for any team to absorb.
Justin Tucker, the kicker widely regarded as the finest ever to play the position, worked out for the New York Jets on Wednesday alongside two other candidates for the job. Michael Badgley and Joshua Karty also participated in the session, according to reporting from The Ringer. It was Tucker's latest attempt to return to professional football after more than a year away from the field.
Tucker has not played since the 2024 season ended. Last year he remained unsigned after completing a 10-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. The Baltimore Ravens, the franchise that employed him for 13 seasons, released him in May 2025 following public reporting of allegations against him.
In January 2025, The Baltimore Banner reported that 16 female massage therapists had accused Tucker of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior during sessions spanning from 2012 to 2016 at eight spas in and around Baltimore. Tucker has denied the allegations entirely. He was never criminally charged and no civil lawsuits were filed against him. In June 2025, Tucker, his wife Amanda, and his legal team spoke exclusively to OutKick. His attorneys, led by Joe Terry of Williams & Connolly, presented material they argued undermined the accusations, including an email from one accuser thanking Tucker for his business when he canceled his membership at one spa in 2016. That evidence, standing alone, does not establish his innocence.
The case has drawn inevitable comparisons to the situation involving quarterback Deshaun Watson, who faced allegations from more than two dozen massage therapists. Watson settled 23 civil lawsuits and received an 11-game suspension in 2022. Despite the allegations, the Cleveland Browns signed him to the NFL's first fully guaranteed multiyear contract—five years and $230 million. Watson has since become one of the league's most disappointing starting quarterbacks, never returning to his previous level of play. The Ravens made a different calculation with Tucker. They released him rather than stand by him.
The difference between the two cases extends beyond institutional judgment. Watson was a franchise quarterback in his prime when the Browns made their bet. Tucker is a kicker approaching 37 years old who just completed the worst statistical season of his career. In 2024, he made only 73.3 percent of his field-goal attempts, a career low. NFL teams weigh a player's on-field performance against the weight of his baggage, whether proven or not. So far, no team has decided Tucker's remaining value outweighs the questions surrounding him. He worked out for the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts, neither of which signed him.
The Jets workout represents another opportunity, though the outcome remains uncertain. Tucker did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. The fundamental tension in his situation persists: he would likely have found employment after his suspension had he remained among the league's elite kickers, and when last measured, he was still better than several kickers currently on NFL rosters. Yet teams have consistently chosen to move on. Whether the Jets will break that pattern remains to be seen.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Tucker has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and presented material through his legal team arguing the accusations lack merit.— Tucker's legal representatives
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