Justin Tucker (Baltimore Ravens)
If the Vikings are going to give up assets to acquire a kicker, they might as well go after the best one in the NFL today and arguably the best to ever attempt a kick in the league.
Justin Tucker, who is coming off a contest in which he nailed a game-winning 55-yard field goal for the Ravens, is currently the league’s all-time leader in career field goal percentage (90.8). Tucker is in the middle of his ninth season in the NFL and all he’s done is continue to live up to the reputation he’s established for himself during his tenure in the league.
This year, the Baltimore kicker has made 22 of his 24 field-goal attempts and 39 of his 40 extra-point tries. Simple math would let you know that Dan Bailey missed more kicks in Week 14 than Tucker has missed all season long.
Tucker’s contract isn’t terrible ($5.15 million is the highest cap hit until 2024), but figuring out what it would take to acquire him will be the difficult part for Minnesota. It’s very possible that the Ravens would want no less than a first-round pick in exchange for their veteran kicker.
For a franchise like the Vikings that has been haunted by poor performing kickers throughout the existence of the team, giving up a first-round draft selection to acquire Tucker and not have to worry about the kicking game might actually be worth it.