Justin Tucker is receiving a lot of positive press this offseason, even though he hasn’t done anything that would be considered “news.”
According to NFL.com’s Bobby Kownack, Tucker is one of his five leading candidates to grace the cover of the next edition of the popular Madden video game series.
The Madden series has had a history of putting players on the cover who embody the rule changes made by the league in that given year.
With the new kickoff rule taking effect this upcoming season, who better to grace the cover than the most excellent kicker ever?
Tucker temporarily lost the title of most accurate placekicker of all time late last season but has since reclaimed it. He has a 90.2% accuracy rate over his career.
His most extended field goal a record of 66 yards could last a long while.
However, it isn’t just speculation over video game cover imagery that draws attention to Tucker this summer.
Given how Tucker and the Kansas City Chiefs PK, Harrison Butker, are basically on a level above everybody else in the league, they are inevitably and consistently compared to one another.
Butker came under fire last month due to some extremist views that he presented while giving a commencement address at an ultra-conservative college.
In the public backlash against Butker, Tucker’s virtues have been pushed back to the forefront. Not just on social media but in regular mainstream media, we’re seeing the Tucker vs Butker narrative return, although it comes in an off-the-field theme this time.
As you may or may not know, Baltimore’s All-Pro placekicker is an accomplished opera singer who can belt out a song in seven different languages.
He has been singing for charity in the offseason for nearly a decade.
However, his vocal prowess and philanthropic efforts are currently back in the news. That is largely due to critics of Butker juxtaposing him against Tucker, as they praise the Ravens PK and spotlight his best traits.