Ravens GM gives clear verdict on Justin Tucker's future in Baltimore

Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta made his feelings very clear about Justin Tucker's future in Baltimore.

Speaking to the media recently, DeCosta explained that, despite Tucker's rough 2024 campaign, he expects the Ravens veteran to return to kick for the team again next season in 2025.

“Justin’s going to go down as, in my opinion, if not the best kicker in NFL history one of the best. I think he finished the season strong. We’ll have those discussions, but I have every expectation that Justin’s going to be a great kicker for us next year and moving forward,” DeCosta said. “He finished strong this year toward the end, had a little adversity midway through the season, but I think Justin is a tremendous competitor, very, very talented, he works his butt off, and I would expect he will be the kicker for us next year.”

Tucker is considered, by many, to be one of the greatest place kickers the NFL has ever seen. His combination of leg strength and accuracy over the years has been the downfall of many opposing NFL teams in clutch situations. However, Tucker took a considerable step back in 2024, which came as a shock to many across the league.

Justin Tucker's up-and-down 2024 season

The 35-year-old missed eight field goals this year and ended the season with a 73.3% field goal percentage. He only made six of his 11 field goal attempts from 50-plus yards and also missed three of his eight attempts between 40 and 49 yards. The Texas Longhorn alum also missed two of his 62 extra-point attempts during the regular season.

The Ravens' 2024-25 season ended with a 27-25 defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. During that postseason run, the specialist was perfect on his field goal attempts, going two-for-two; however, none of those attempts were 50 yards or more. Unfortunately, Tucker did miss six extra-point attempts during the Ravens' two-game run in the playoffs.

NFL: Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens - Source: Imagn

With the kicker getting up there in age and his performance beginning to trend downward after this season, it will be interesting to see if DeCosta holds true to his word and brings "J-Tuck" back for another run with the team.

Given his firm establishment as one of the game's all-time greats and the fact that this year's slump is a rare occurrence for the veteran, it's safe to assume he will be wearing a purple jersey again come 2025.

If he's not, however, there will be no shortage of teams bidding for his services.