Justin Tucker Addresses Ravens Mortality and Longevity
Death, taxes, Justin Tucker coming out to kick for the Baltimore Ravens.
Those have been the lone certainties in Charm City since 2012, when Tucker arrived in Baltimore as an undrafted free agent out of Texas. The rest has been literal history, as Tucker has set countless NFL and franchise marks in a Baltimore jersey ... with several big plateaus left to scale.
All good things, of course, must come to an end. Fortunately for Baltimore fans, Tucker doesn't see that coming anytime soon and is more than willing to bring medical devices on the field to help him kick if it'll raise the Ravens' fortunes.
"I just want to go until it's embarrassing for me to be out there. I want to kick until the wheels absolutely fall off," Tucker said on "The Lounge" podcast on the Ravens' official site. "If I have to go out there and (punter/holder Jordan Stout) has to help me out onto the field, or I have to take a walker out there, I'm going to do it. I'm going to go to the bitter, bitter end."
Baltimore has been blessed with an uncanny sense of assurance in the kicker spot: over 88 percent of their 434 regular season games have been started by either Tucker or Matt Stover. Set to enter his 12th NFL season, Tucker figures to only raise that rate, as he's still far from any form of "embarrassing" showcases that would lead to his NFL end.
Tucker successfully converted 86 percent of his triples last season and that could somehow be considered a disappointment as the third-worst rate of his career. The 37 conversions still led the league and he still set new brands of history: a buzzer-beating field goal to top Cincinnati was his 61st successful boot in the fourth quarter or overtime and he'd pass the original Raven Stover as the franchise's all-time leading scorer with a tally against Pittsburgh.
Going out on a supposed high note is as far from his mind as one of his field goals ... namely the longest in NFL history at 66 yards, a mark he set in an improbable victory over Detroit in 2021.
"Ask me again in like 15 years and maybe my tune will change," he said. "But that is just not even a thought in my mind right now, truly."
Tucker will return to action on Sept. 10 when the Ravens kickoff the 2023 season at home against the Houston Texans (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
