From the moment he arrived at the Ravens facility as an undrafted kicker out of Texas, Justin Tucker has looked like he belonged.
With his booming and precise kicks, maniacal quest for perfection and gregarious personality, Tucker has become one of the franchise's most popular and productive players. And the Ravens wanted to make sure that the kicker's stay in Baltimore lasted beyond the upcoming season.
The Ravens on Friday made Tucker one of the highest-paid kickers in the league, agreeing to a four-year deal with the 26-year-old. The agreement came about a half-hour ahead of Friday's 4 p.m. EDT deadline for signing franchise tagged players. Tucker's agent, Rob Roche, confirmed the agreement on his Twitter account.
According to ESPN, the pact is for $16.8 million, including $10.8 million guaranteed. In terms of guaranteed money, Tucker is now the highest-paid kicker in the NFL.
If the Ravens and Tucker hadn't agreed to a deal _ and things didn't exactly look promising entering the day _ the kicker would have played the season under the $4.572 million franchise tag. But that's now a moot point.
"Justin has become a cornerstone for our team, and we are happy to get this contract completed," general manager Ozzie Newsome said in a statement. "What is good for the Ravens right now is that we have our Pro Bowl special teams group _ Sam (Koch), Morgan (Cox) and Justin _ signed through the next three seasons."
Tucker, whose 87.8 percent conversion rate on field goals makes him the second most accurate kicker in NFL history, will now be compensated at the top of the market at his position. The New England Patriots' Stephen Gostkowski had set the market last July, signing a four-year, $17.2 million contract extension. The deal included $10.1 million in guaranteed money, a record for a place kicker.
Gostowski and the Green Bay Packers' Mason Crosby had been the only kickers getting paid an average of $4 million per year or more.
The Ravens' motivation all along was never to open up salary cap space for the 2016 season. They already have more than $12 million of space, plenty of flexibility to take into the year. After franchising Tucker, the team wanted to make sure that the kicker didn't hit the unrestricted free agent market after the 2016 season.
If a deal didn't get done, the Ravens would have had the option of franchising Tucker again next year, but that would have cost even more and eliminated the tag as a potential option for another of their 2017 free agents.
Plus, they felt Tucker had earned the lucrative extension with his performance over his first four NFL seasons, a span in which he's been one of the team's most reliable and clutch players. Tucker made it clear from the very beginning that he wanted to stay in Baltimore. He didn't gripe publicly when he received the franchise tag, and he participated in the various minicamps this offseason, despite his contract situation and the fact that he and his wife, Amanda, had recently welcomed the couple's first child.
The only sign of frustration came Thursday night when Tucker's agent, Roche, told ESPN that his client was "disillusioned" with the negotiations and wouldn't sign long term with the Ravens if a deal wasn't reached by Friday.
Tucker has converted 130 of 148 regular-season field-goal attempts, trailing only the Dallas Cowboys' Dan Bailey (90.6) in all-time conversion rate. He's never missed an extra-point attempt and he's misfired on only six of his 118 career attempts from under 50 yards.
He is the fastest kicker in NFL history to make 100 field-goal attempts and reach the 500-point milestone. His 130 field goals and 529 points since he entered the league rank only behind the Patriots' Gostkowski. As one of the league leaders in touchbacks, Tucker has also played a pivotal role in nullifying opposing return games.
While missed kicks in big games have become regular occurrences across the NFL, Tucker has shown a flair for the dramatic. He has kicked 10 career game-winning field goals, including the franchise-record 61-yard boot to beat the Detroit Lions in December 2013. Six of his game winners have been on the road and one came in double overtime of the Ravens' 38-35 victory over the Denver Broncos in the 2012 AFC divisional playoff round.
In many NFL cities, kickers are seen but not often heard from. That has never been the case with Tucker, a charismatic Texas native who sings opera, impersonates athletes and celebrities and maintains a social media presence. During his time with the Ravens, Tucker has also been one of the organization's most active players in the community.
In some respects, Tucker arrived in Baltimore at the perfect time. Months earlier, Billy Cundiff had missed a 32-yard field-goal attempt against the New England Patriots that would have forced overtime in the AFC championship game. The 23-20 loss to the Patriots was easily one of the most difficult losses in franchise history.
The Ravens had vowed to stick with Cundiff, who had made the Pro Bowl a season before the big miss. They didn't sign a veteran kicker to serve as training camp competition for Cundiff heading into 2012 training camp. However, they did invite Tucker, who went undrafted after a solid college career with Texas, to try out at rookie minicamp.
Tucker made an immediate impression on team officials and was ultimately signed to the 90-man roster. He out-kicked Cundiff in training camp to win the job and he justified the choice by making 30-of-33 field-goal attempts in his rookie season, and all four of his kicks during the team's Super Bowl run.
Neither he nor the Ravens have ever looked back. And with Friday's contract extension, there is no need.
