Chiefs Sign Justin Tucker to Practice Squad Amid Kicker Struggles and Past Allegations

The Kansas City Chiefs have signed veteran kicker Justin Tucker to their practice squad, providing a potential alternative to starter Harrison Butker, who has struggled this season. While Tucker is now with the team, special teams coordinator Dave Toub emphasized Thursday that Butker remains the team's kicker. Butker is expected to play in Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos, a matchup that will decide first place in the AFC West. The move comes as Butker faces a difficult season, having missed five of 16 field goal attempts. In a recent loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Butker missed two field goals from 58 and 45 yards. Butker attributed these misses to "over swinging" and a poor warmup. However, head coach Andy Reid suggested Wednesday that Tucker could potentially become the starter for the following week's game against the New York Jets if Butker's struggles persist. Tucker, a five-time All-Pro, was signed after a "grueling" workout Tuesday where Toub reported that Tucker was "off-the-charts good," successfully making every kick in a 30-kick tryout that included a 60-yarder. Since joining the team, Tucker has also begun collaborating with Butker to offer technical feedback. Tucker’s return to the NFL follows a period of significant professional and personal turmoil. He has not played since January 2025. According to The Baltimore Banner, 16 massage therapists from eight high-end spas in the Baltimore area accused Tucker of sexual misconduct occurring between 2012 and 2016. The allegations included repeated exposure of his genitals and inappropriate touching. Tucker has denied these allegations, calling them "unequivocally false" and "tabloid fodder." His attorneys also denied that he was banned from any spas. While no legal charges were filed and no lawsuits were initiated, the NFL suspended Tucker for 10 games for violating the league's personal conduct policy. Tucker's departure from the Baltimore Ravens in May 2025 was described by the team as a "football decision." He was coming off the worst season of his career in 2024, where he missed 10 total kicks and posted a 73.3% field goal conversion rate, which ranked 31st in the NFL. Toub noted that Tucker had been dealing with mental issues during that period but is now "kicking great." The news of Tucker's return has been met with criticism from some of the women who accused him. One therapist told The Baltimore Banner that his return to the league is "a sad day for all the victims." --- HOT covers what Americans are searching for most right now. Sources: ESPN: https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/50321154/toub-butker-chiefs-kicker-tucker-signing; The Baltimore Banner: https://www.thebanner.com/sports/ravens-nfl/justin-tucker-kansas-city-chiefs-IHZFSTVKKBBQDHKDI7R2H76ZNM/. Machine-written by gemma4:31b-cloud from those reports. Fact check against them by gpt-oss:120b-cloud.