How Justin Tucker Release Affects Ravens' Salary Cap

The Justin Tucker era has come to an end for the Baltimore Ravens. It's an incredibly messy and controversial end, but an end nonetheless.

The Ravens released Tucker, the most-accurate kicker in NFL history, on Monday afternoon. The move comes after 16 massage therapists accused Tucker of sexual misconduct during sessions from 2012-16, with the allegations including him exposing his genitals and brushing some of the therapists thighs. While the Ravens previously said they would await the results of the NFL's investigation, they referred to the move as a "football decision," which drew some criticism in its own right.

Of course, releasing Tucker comes with massive implications on the field. He was the team's kicker for 13 years and until last year, when he posted a career-low 73.3 field goal percentage, he was nearly automatic. Sixth-round rookie Tyler Loop, Tucker's likely replacement, has big shoes to fill on the field.

While not the focus of the situation, Tucker's release does have a notable impact on the Ravens' salary cap situation.

According to Spotrac, the Ravens designated Tucker as a post-June 1 release, which essentially means they will spread the dead cap hit out over two years rather than taking it all on this season. They used the same designation on safety Marcus Williams earlier this offseason.

As a Post June 1st release, Justin Tucker will remain on the #Ravens books through May at $7M, then split off into dead cap hits of:
2025: $2.87M
2026: $4.64M

Baltimore will pick up $4.2M of cap savings come June.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) May 5, 2025

As a result, Tucker will remain on the the Ravens' books at his $7 million cap hit until June 1, when they will then save $4.2 million against the cap. Baltimore will also take on dead cap hits of $2.87 million in 2025 and $4.64 million in 2026.

Those dead cap hits are very manageable. The Ravens currently have roughly $11.6 million in cap space before Tucker and Williams' previous cap hits come off the books, and while they still have to sign their top two draft picks in safety Malaki Starks and edge rusher Mike Green, they will have more than enough to get the job done.

The 2026 dead cap hits will be more interesting to watch, however, as while Baltimore still has plenty of space, it has plenty of high-profile free agents to re-sign.

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