Justin Tucker has long been the greatest kicker in the NFL. Over the last couple of seasons, he’s undeniably moved into the conversation of being the greatest of all time. Baltimore fans have known it longer than anyone else, but it seems like the recognition may finally be mainstream. All it took was breaking the NFL record for the longest field goal to earn Tucker his debut on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2022.
In his first year on the list, Tucker came in at No. 94. Tucker finished the 2021 season as the most accurate kicker, sitting at 94.6%. He was the only kicker with five or more attempts from 50 yards or greater to be perfect on all his attempts, going 6/6, including the now legendary 66-yard field goal, the longest in NFL history. He also remains atop the all-time field goal percentage list (91.061%), a spot he’s had for quite a while. He’s also the fastest kicker to 1,000 career points, the fastest kicker to 300 field goals made and the first player with 30 or more field goals made in six different seasons.
It is a startling low spot for a guy who has been far and away the best at his position and is an impactful player for so many consecutive years. The Ravens’ offense can operate differently from almost every other team in the league because of what Justin Tucker brings to the table. Opposing defenses have to play the Ravens differently because of what Tucker can do. The Ravens just recently reminded the league how impactful he was, giving him the largest contract for a kicker the NFL has ever seen.
The NFL Top 100 is a novelty that should never be taken too seriously. In all honesty, it’s pretty fun to hear what the actual players think of each other. It’s a fun way to generate some excitement right before the season kicks off. That all being said, it’s almost disrespectful how long it took Tucker’s NFL peers to get him on the list. This is a guy who could go down as the first pure kicker to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
At the end of the day, it’s awesome to see Tucker on the list. Specialists rarely make the Top 100 and it is a huge honor for Tucker to make the list, whether the spot is arguable or not. It’s just another thing to add to a growing resume that will have Tucker go down as the greatest of all time.