OWINGS MILLS — Justin Tucker is one of the best kickers in the history of the NFL.
He has won numerous games for the Ravens and owns the record for the longest field goal in NFL history — a 66-yarder against the Detroit Lions in 2021.
Nonetheless, Tucker is one of the hardest-working players in training camp. Earlier this week, he converted a 68-yard field goal at the Under Armour Performance Center.
At age 34, Tucker has shown little signs of slowing down.
“I think as soon as any player in any sport starts thinking that they’re really sweet – as the old adage goes, ‘Pride comes before the fall,'” he said. “I think what we do on a day-to-day basis is we come out here, and we try to make one kick at a time. We try to do our best with each rep that we get – on field three by ourselves or in team periods. It’s just about making the next kick and continuing to just be consistent more than anything. I go back to what you said just a minute ago, when somebody is considered at the top or at the pinnacle of their craft, the ones that are able to sustain that level of heightened success never talk about themselves.
“I really try to make it a point – like I might joke about it with my teammates sometimes – but I really do believe fully that I haven’t done any of this in the last 12 years by myself.”
Tucker is the most accurate kicker in NFL history (90.2 percent), connecting on 395 of 438 field-goal attempts. He is tied with Sebastian Janikowski for the second-most field goals made (58) from 50-plus yards in NFL history (Matt Prater, 80). Since 2012, he ranks No. 1 in field goals (395) and points (1,649)
His other accolades include:
- His 395 field goals made, 1,649 points scored and 464 points after touchdowns made are the most in Ravens franchise history, surpassing kicker Matt Stover in each category in 2022
- His 94.2 career field goal percentage in the second half/OT (195-of-207) ranks as the NFL’s best such mark of all time
- Tucker had 19 career game-winning field goals (18 regular season and 1 playoff), connecting on 11 of those in road games.
- He is 27-of-30 (90.0 percent) in the final two minutes of regulation, 18-of-20 (90.0 percent) on tries in the final minute of regulation, and a perfect 5-for-5 on overtime attempts throughout his career.
- Owns the most points (84) and field goals made (17) in the Ravens’ postseason history
- His seven seasons with at least 140 points (2013, 2016-19, 2022-23) are tied with Stephen Gostkowski for the most in NFL history.
Tucker is also a seven-time Pro Bowler and earned First-Team All-Pro honors five times. Tucker has been working closely with senior special teams coach Randy Brown to take advantage of the new kickoff rules. Tucker estimates the team has eight or nine different types of kickoffs entering the season to give opponents different looks.
Tucker’s attention to detail does not surprise Brown.
“So, the thing with Justin is, he constantly wants to get better,” Brown said. “I’ve been around him long enough that we plan out not just the week, but the day, and then we’ll go ahead and say, ‘OK, hey, we’re going to kick ‘X’ number of balls today. We’re going to work on these particular kicks today.’ Especially now with the new kickoff, we have to incorporate some of that in. And what’s great is, he’s so open-minded to, ‘Hey, let me try this. See what you think.’ … He’s striking the ball as well as he ever has.”
