Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
By Ross Jackson
METAIRIE, La. – The New Orleans Saints are set to try out additional options at kicker after a down day for Blake Grupe has put his future in jeopardy. Among the duo of currently planned visits, the Saints plan to host former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker on Tuesday alongside former LSU Tigers boot Cade York.
The Tucker visit has caused a stir around the organization with questions looming around the team’s decision to bring him in for a tryout after serving a 10-game suspension connected to the allegations of several massage therapists who alleged Tucker engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior during massage sessions.
Head coach Kellen Moore took the podium at the Saints’ practice facility on Monday and discussed the team’s decision to bring Tucker in and the process of navigating his accusations.
“Just like a lot of players, there’s the field component of this thing that you get guys in here to evaluate them,” Moore said. “But also you just want to get to know the people and get to know maybe a circumstance here and there. Certainly, he had a suspension in the league. He’s served that suspension. Obviously, there’s some information to collect. Our personnel group will do a really good job collecting all that information.”
With 16 Baltimore-area accusers spanning incidents ranging from 2012 to 2016, the situation surrounding Tucker is a serious one. To get the full picture, Moore noted he might contact both the numerous appellants and the Ravens for additional details. The Ravens chose to release Tucker in May, soon after the allegations reached a fever pitch, though the team cited performance reasons in its statement.
When asked why the potential of adding a player outfitted with such allegations would be worth it for a team at 2-9 with just six games left to go in the season, Moore eschewed the concerns of the acquisition in favor of highlighting his presumed value to his previous team.
“He’s been a really good kicker in this league for a really long time,” he said. “He’s had a ton of success, and he’s been a leader for Baltimore for a long time and their team. He’s been one of their leaders for an extended period of time with a very successful team. There’s been some stuff that’s been unfortunate. He’s gone through an experience, and I think it’s about collecting what that experience was, and we’ll evaluate the football aspect of it. We’ll evaluate everything else as well.”
Moore said that there will also be “personal dialogue” between he and general manager Mickey Loomis about what has taken place with the kicker both on and off of the field in his previous stop in Baltimore, but that those conversations would be kept private.
Tucker is currently the fourth-most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history with a career percentage of 89.1%. However, during his final year in Baltimore, he kicked for a career-low 73.3%.
York’s career field goal percentage of 73.3% includes an 81.8% stint with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2024. Grupe, the team’s current kicker, is averaging just 69.8% on the season thus far.
As the Saints host Tucker and York for their Tuesday tryout, the team will also be in the midst of considering International Player Pathway participant Charlie Smyth. The Irish-born kicker signed with New Orleans ahead of the 2024 season and has been on the team’s practice squad since. He and Grupe will still very much be a part of the conversation moving forward.
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