The New York Jets have kicked their way into an uncomfortable corner, and Justin Tucker is the name sitting right in the middle of it.
After adding Blake Grupe to the 53-man roster and keeping Jason Sanders on the practice squad, the Jets worked out a group of kickers that also included Michael Badgley and Joshua Karty. Tucker was part of that look, but the idea of bringing him in comes with far more baggage than upside.
On paper, Tucker still stands above the market. He has five All-Pro selections and a long track record of accuracy that would normally make him an easy sell. Even with the rough finish to his final season with the Ravens, his résumé is not the issue.
The problem is everything else.
Tucker was suspended 10 games in the 2025 season after an NFL investigation into allegations that he showed inappropriate sexual behavior aimed at multiple massage therapists between the 2012 and 2016 seasons. He apologized to "anyone I have worked with" who may have felt uncomfortable around him, but he did not admit guilt.
That kind of cloud makes his fit in New York hard to justify, especially for a team that has talked about building a morally sound locker room. Adding that distraction would create a mess the Jets do not need, particularly when there is no clear football case strong enough to outweigh it.
There is also the simple matter of his recent performance. Tucker was beaten out by Cade York when he tried out with the Saints, and the Colts hosted him before choosing to sign Grupe instead. Those are not the kinds of markers that point to a kicker who still has enough left to outweigh the noise.
For the Jets, the safer move is also the cleaner one: end the Tucker interest and move on.
In Other News...
Islanders Prospect Malte Gustafsson Now Carries A Fascinating Blue-Line Question
Prospect buzz around Malte Gustafsson is starting to sound a lot more serious, and for good reason. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic sees the Islanders defense prospect as a player with the size, consistency and physical edge that can translate on the blue line, the kind of traits that tend to travel well as a young defender climbs the ladder. The arrow is pointed up enough that Gustafsson is no longer just a name in the system, but someone who is drawing attention for the way he affects shifts even when the offense does not fully show up.
The bigger question now is how that foundation turns into the kind of NHL defender the Islanders can actually count on. Wheeler has concerns about Gustafsson's skating and his offensive output, which is usually where the evaluation gets tricky for a player built more on reliability than flash. Even so, the long view is encouraging, and the comparison to a current NHL regular suggests there is a realistic path here to becoming more than a depth option if the rest of his game keeps moving in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Face A Real Opening Night Choice With Victor Eklund
Victor Eklund is getting a real look at exactly the kind of opportunity young players talk about all summer but rarely get handed in September. The 20-year-old prospect is in the mix for a roster spot heading toward the Islanders home opener on Oct. 3, and the path to a job runs straight through the bottom six. With the forward group already carrying established salary commitments, the opening-night puzzle is less about finding talent than deciding which players best fit the roles available.
Eklunds case is complicated by the fact that he is still early in his NHL journey, which makes training camp the critical proving ground for where he belongs. The Islanders have veterans lining up for third- and fourth-line minutes, and the decision will come down to how Eklund stacks up once the games and practices start counting for real. For a team looking to balance present-day reliability with a little long-term upside, this is the sort of opening-night choice that can reveal a lot about where the roster is headed. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Fans Already Have A Matthew Schaefer Debate On Their Hands
Matthew Schaefer is already the kind of player Islanders fans can argue about before his second season even really gets going. The rookie defenseman flashed the sort of two-way game that makes people around the league look twice, blending offense and defense in a way that hints at a much bigger ceiling than the usual early-career praise.
A recent projection from Daily Faceoff only added to the buzz, placing Schaefer among the early names to watch for the 2026-27 Norris Trophy race. It is hardly a prediction carved in stone, but it does underline how quickly his profile has risen and why the Islanders may already have a future award conversation on their hands. [Read more 🡒]