The New Orleans Saints made news this week when they hosted disgraced kicker Justin Tucker.
Saints coach Kellen Moore explained what the thought process was in bringing in Tucker for a tryout this week before the organization signed Cade York on Tuesday.
Tucker, of course, is one of the greatest NFL kickers off all time but was released by the Baltimore Ravens in the offseason after more than a dozen accusations of sexual misconduct from massage therapists.
He was suspended by the NFL for 10 games for violating the personal-conduct policy, and his suspension just expired, which made him eligible to sign with other clubs.
York previously kicked for the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Commanders over his four-season NFL career. He will replace Blake Grupe, who was cut by the Saints earlier this week.
Kellen Moore Wanted To ‘Collect’ Information About Justin Tucker’s ‘Experience’
The Saints are one of the NFL’s youngest teams, and Moore is a rookie coach. He was interested in Tucker’s experience — the kicker spent 13 seasons with the Ravens before they cut him — but also learning about what Tucker has gleaned from his suspension.
“He’s been a really good kicker in this league for a really long time, and he’s had a ton of success and he’s been a leader for Baltimore for a long time,” Moore said. “He’s been one of their leaders for an extended period of time with a very successful team and so obviously 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 and we’ll evaluate everything else as well.”
Tucker had held the NFL record for longest made field goal until Cam Little of Jacksonville Jaguars broke it with a 68-yarder against the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this year.
Interestingly, aside from the allegations, Tucker is coming off the worst season of his NFL career in 2024. He made just 22 of 30 field goals and went 60 for 62 on extra points — his two missed PATs was tied for the most in a single season over his career.
“Just like a lot of players, there’s the field component of this thing,” Moore said. “You get guys in here to evaluate them, but also you just want to get to know the people and get to know maybe a circumstance here and there and certainly he had a suspension in the league, he’s served that suspension.”
The Saints Made The Right Call Not Signing Justin Tucker
Grupe had made just 18 of 26 field goals this season and clearly needed a change of scenery, but signing Tucker would have been a bridge too far — especially for a young team and coach looking to build a culture.
The NFL is a meritocracy — especially at the placekicker role, since as Grupe proved, you get cut simply for missing kicks. There may ultimately be a place for him to sign with a club but not less than two weeks after the NFL reinstated him.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Saints’ Kellen Moore Explains Justin Tucker Tryout Decision appeared first on Heavy Sports.