The New York Jets continue to kick the tires on potential additions ahead of the 2026 season.
NFL Insider Jordan Schultz revealed that the Jets had three placekickers in for workouts on Wednesday, September 2. That group included eight-time All-Pro Justin Tucker. The other two were Michael Badgley and Joshua Karty.
“The Jets recently claimed Blake Grupe off waivers and have Jason Sanders on the practice squad, but kicker is a position the team will continue to closely evaluate. Today’s workout is the latest part of that due diligence,” Schultz wrote.
Tucker Is One of the Best Kickers in League History
Tucker, 36, will turn 37 during the 2026 season. On the football field, Tucker is one of the best placekickers in NFL history. He is an eight-time All-Pro, seven-time Pro Bowler, and a Super Bowl champion.
He entered the league in 2012 as an undrafted free agent. During his 13-years in the NFL, Tucker has appeared in 212 games. With those opportunities, Tucker has an 89.1% conversion rate on his field goal attempts (going 417 for 468) in his career. Tucker has a 98.5% conversion rate on his extra point attempts (going 524 for 532).
Not only has Tucker been incredibly accurate, but he has also made multiple 60+ yard field goals in his career. So he has proven to have a big leg.
According to Pro Football Reference, Tucker is the third most accurate kicker in NFL history. The only two kickers ahead of him on the list have played fewer than eight seasons in the league.
In his final season with the Baltimore Ravens in 2024, Tucker started to show signs of decline. He appeared in all 17 games, but finished with a career-low 73.3% conversion rate (going 22 of 30 on his field goal attempts).
In May of 2025, the Ravens parted ways with Tucker. “Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta described the release as a ‘football decision,’ via the NFL Media Group. However, there may have been some other factors at play off the field.
The off the Field Concerns With Tucker
“A total of 16 massage therapists from eight Baltimore-area spas have accused Tucker of improper conduct. They all said Tucker’s actions occurred between his 2012 rookie year and 2016. The Baltimore Banner first reported allegations of inappropriate behavior in an article published on Jan. 30. Tucker has denied any misconduct,” the NFL Media Group posted in May of 2025.
In June of 2025, Tucker was suspended “without pay for the first 10 weeks of the 2025 season due to violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy, the league announced Thursday afternoon,” Grant Gordon of the NFL Media Group wrote.
“The suspension of Tucker, 35, will become effective on Aug. 26 — the league’s 53-man roster cutdown day — and he will be eligible for reinstatement on Tuesday, Nov. 11, as noted in the league release. As also noted in the announcement of Tucker’s suspension, he is eligible to serve out his suspension while he is a free agent,” Gordon wrote in June of 2025.
Tucker was reinstated by the NFL in June of 2026, according to NFL Insider Aaron Wilson.
Jets Kick Tires on 8-Time All-Pro With Surprise Workout