Ravens Kicker Justin Tucker Vows Not To Re-Sign In 2017 If No Deal Reached By Deadline

Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker has grown so frustrated with negotiations that he is threatening not to re-sign with the team after this season if the two sides do not have a long-term deal in place by Friday’s (July 15) 4 pm ET deadline.

Ravens Kicker Justin Tucker Vows Not To Re-Sign In 2017 If No Deal Reached By Deadline

“Justin’s disillusioned with the process right now and the Ravens’ position with him on his contract,” Tucker’s agent, Rob Roche, said Thursday. “If we don’t get a long-term deal done by Friday, Justin will not entertain offers from [the] Ravens after the season.”

There had been hope of progress up until recently. However, the Ravens provided Tucker, 26, on Thursday with an offer that actually paid him less than their previous offers and less than his Green Bay Packers counterpart, Mason Crosby. Crosby signed a four-year, $16.1 million deal with the Packers in March.

Tucker has been one of the best placekickers in the league since joining Baltimore in 2012 and stands to make over $4.5 million under the franchise tender he signed after being tagged. New England Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski signed a four-year deal worth $17.2 million last year, which would appear to be the same neighborhood Tucker is seeking to be in when the contract process reaches its conclusion.

Tucker, the second-most accurate kicker in NFL history, received the Ravens’ franchise tag Feb. 26 and signed it March 4.

He has converted 87.8 percent of his career field goals, which ranks second only to the Dallas Cowboys’ Dan Bailey (90.6 percent) in NFL history. Tucker’s 130 field goals and 529 points since starting his NFL career in 2012 are second only to Gostkowski, (135 field goals, 618 points) in that span.

However, he is coming off his roughest pro season so far, converting a personal-low 82.5 percent of his field goals.

Tucker, who went undrafted after playing collegiately at the University of Texas, never received a signing bonus as a rookie and made minimums in 2012 ($390,000), ’13 ($480,000) and ’14 ($570,000). He was a restricted free agent last season who got a second-round tender at $2.356 million.

Tucker had a decisive kick in overtime or with no time remaining in regulation in three of the Ravens’ five wins last season. He also connected on 12 of his last 13 field goals (92.3 percent), and his touchback percentage on kickoffs (85.1 percent) was second in the NFL.

Caption:BALTIMORE, MD – OCTOBER 11: Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker #9 kicks a fourth quarter field goal against the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium on October 11, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Cleveland Browns won, 33-30. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Article by Pablo Mena