Justin Tucker joins the Chiefs after a 10-game suspension last year for violating NFL conduct policy

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs signed Justin Tucker to their practice squad on Wednesday, giving the five-time All-Pro kicker a second chance in the NFL after serving a 10-game suspension last year for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

Tucker spent 13 seasons with the Ravens, earning a reputation as one of the league’s best kickers, before his tenure in Baltimore ended in controversy. The Baltimore Banner reported in 2025 that he had been accused of sexual misconduct by 16 massage therapists at high-end spas, accusations that Tucker called “unequivocally false” and “tabloid fodder.”

The Ravens released him that May. And while Tucker was never criminally charged or sued in civil court, the NFL suspended him for the first 10 games of the 2025 season, which Tucker served as a free agent; he became eligible for reinstatement last November.

“He's done his suspension, you know? Took care of that business," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Wednesday, “and I'll leave it at that.”

Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker has struggled mightily the past two seasons, missing a pair of kicks in Sunday’s loss in Seattle, and the signing of Tucker provides some competition for him — even though Reid said Butker would kick this Sunday in Denver.

The Chiefs also worked out Ben Sauls and Harrison Mevis before giving Tucker the open spot on their practice squad.

“Listen, Harrison, we love. I've told you that before. He's one of my favorite guys," Reid said, “and sometimes things don't go quite the way you want, and you work on that. He understands the business and how it works. We had a practice squad position open. Butker gets it. He knows that's part of the business. He's struggling a little bit and he gets it.”

Butker has missed 10 field-goal attempts and five PATs since the start of last season, the most in the league, and they've come at quite a cost. He's the third-highest paid kicker in the league, carrying the sixth-highest base salary on the Kansas City roster.

“Obviously he didn't do very good this past game. I'm stating the obvious there," Reid said, "and he's been up and down. This happens. And you know, anybody else in this business, myself included, you have to pick it up and do better. He gets that.”

Tucker, who turns 37 next month, hadn't been much better before he was released by Baltimore. He missed 10 kicks during the 2024 season, by far the most during a career that has included seven Pro Bowl selections.

The Chiefs have proven a willingness to give players — and kickers, for that matter — a second chance.

Last year, they brought back running back Kareem Hunt, whom the Chiefs had released years earlier after security footage showed him kicking a woman in a hotel hallway. And they signed current punter Matt Araiza, who was among multiple people accused of raping a woman at San Diego State; Araiza claimed the encounters with the woman were consensual, the district attorney declined to file criminal charges, he later filed a defamation suit and pending cases were dropped with neither side admitting wrongdoing.

Asked what goes into making such decisions, Reid replied: “I try to do homework on it. See exactly what's taken place. (Tucker) served his suspension. Spent time involved in it. That's how I evaluate it.”

Tucker also has had some run-ins with his new teammates, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce.

Two years ago, before the AFC championship game in Baltimore, the kicker was warming up in an area where Mahomes typically does his pregame work. The quarterback asked Tucker to move his gear, he responded by moving it ever-so slightly and Kelce promptly kicked his footballs and helmet away, leading to an exchange of words between them.

The Chiefs won the game 17-10, sending them back to the Super Bowl, where they beat San Francisco for their second straight title.

“It wasn't like we had any beef that moment,” Mahomes said Wednesday. “At the end of the day, we're just playing a game. You want to compete and you want to win. But it's not like we had a longstanding beef that carries on. We won that game.”

Butker also has courted controversy during his time in Kansas City, though it's been political rather than legal.

Several years ago, he made what he called a “very intentional” foray into politics when he delivered a polarizing commencement address at Benedictine College in which Butker said, among other things, that most of the women receiving degrees were probably more excited about getting married and having children than beginning a professional career.

Butker later formed a political action committee for the 2024 election to encourage Christians to vote for “traditional values.”

NOTES: Chiefs RT Jaylon Moore (concussion) and WR Rashee Rice (hamstring) returned to practice Wednesday. ... DT Omarr Norman-Lott (torn ACL) was designated to return from the physically unable-to-perform list, opening a 21-day practice window. At that point, the Chiefs must put him on the active roster or place him on injured reserve.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

FILE - Baltimore Ravens place kicker Justin Tucker, right, kicks a field goal with Baltimore Ravens punter Jordan Stout, left, holding against the Buffalo Bills during an NFL divisional playoff football game, Jan. 19, 2025, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, File)

FILE - Baltimore Ravens place kicker Justin Tucker walks back to the locker room after an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong, File)

Wendy’s shares jumped 15% at the opening bell Wednesday after noted investor Nelson Peltz made an offer to buy the chain, which has been struggling with high beef prices and aging stores.

Peltz’s Trian Fund Management and several partners are offering Wendy’s $7.35 per share in cash, or a premium of nearly 19% over the stock’s closing price on Tuesday, in a deal that would take the company private.

Wendy's, which is based in Dublin, Ohio, declined to comment Wednesday. At the end of last year, Wendy's had 5,969 restaurants in the U.S. and 1,428 outlets in 38 countries.

Wendy's, founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas and named after his daughter, is known for its square burgers and Frosty desserts. The fast-growing chain introduced the drive-thru window in 1970 and went public in 1976. In the 1980s, as it jockeyed for sales with McDonald's and Burger King, Wendy's launched salad bars and ran its iconic “Where's the beef?” ad campaign.

But as the fast-food market grew even more competitive and rival burger-focused chains like In-N-Out and Five Guys expanded, Wendy's fell behind. Wendy's share of U.S. burger chain sales fell from 11.5% in 2019 to 10.4% last year, according to Technomic, a market research company.

In recent years, inflation has also hurt Wendy's and other U.S. fast-food chains, who have seen traffic from lower-income consumers fall as they raised prices to combat rising labor, food and packaging costs.

Wendy's has been closing outdated U.S. restaurants so it can focus on its more profitable locations. The company closed 240 restaurants in 2024 and said earlier this year that it planned to shutter up to 358 locations this year.

Then, last month, one of the largest U.S. franchisees for Wendy’s filed for bankruptcy protection after the chain tried to terminate its franchise agreement. Michigan-based Meritage Hospitality Group operates 314 Wendy’s restaurants in 15 states.

In a letter to the company’s board of directors, Peltz said going private “will deliver the best outcome for the broader stakeholder base.”

“Wendy’s sits at a critical juncture," Peltz wrote. "The external environment has become increasingly challenging given the significant pressures on the U.S. consumer, economic uncertainty, persistent commodity inflation and intensifying competition, particularly within the QSR (quick service restaurant) burger category."

Peltz has invested in companies from Procter & Gamble and Disney to DuPont. According to a regulatory document filed Wednesday, Trian’s stake in Wendy’s totals 16.3%.

Peltz considered a take-private bid for Wendy's in 2022 but told the company in January 2023 that he had decided against it, citing its improved business momentum, according to TD Cowen analyst Andrew Charles.

Charles said an independent special committee is expected to evaluate the proposal and both parties have entered into a confidentiality arrangement.

“In our view, a take-private makes sense as Wendy’s turnaround is likely to be prolonged given the challenged state of the lower-income consumer and soft state of the quick service burger category,” Charles wrote Wednesday in a note to investors.

Wendy's is scheduled to report its quarterly financial results next week. Analysts expect the company to post earnings of 9 cents per share on sales of $531 million, according to FactSet.

Shares rose 88 cents to $7.01 Wednesday. They have fallen 26% since the start of this year.

FILE - A sign stands over a Wendy's restaurant, Feb. 25, 2021, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)