Travis Kelce called out Justin Tucker and claimed new Chiefs kicker broke unwritten rule with Patrick Mahomes

Travis Kelce’s pregame altercation with Justin Tucker almost threatened to overshadow the AFC Championship game in 2024. The Chiefs tight end went viral after throwing the Ravens ‘ kicker’s helmet and ball away because Tucker was getting too close to the end zone where Patrick Mahomes was warming up. It could make for an awkward moment after Wednesday’s news that the Chiefs were signing Tucker to their practice squad amid Harrison Butker’s woes . Tucker hasn’t kicked in the NFL since 2024 after violating the NFL’s personal-conduct policy following allegations of sexual misconduct , for which he received a 10-game suspension last season. Travis Kelce and Justin Tucker set for awkward meet after 2024 incident Kelce spoke about his incident with Tucker on his New Heights podcast back in 2024, labelling Tucker a “f***ing d*** for breaking an unwritten NFL rule. “The Ravens have their side of the field and the Chiefs have our side of the field,” he explained at the time. “If you’re trying to go onto the other team’s designated area, you kinda stay outta their way. “You don’t interfere with what they have going on.” “That is the unwritten rule,” Jason chimed in with. Travis echoed his older brother’s words before adding, “If you wanna be a f***ing d*** about it you keep your helmet and your football and you’re f***ing kicking tee right where the quarterbacks are warming up. “If you’re not gonna pick that up, I’ll happily move that for you.” “It’s actually kinda dangerous,” Jason added. Travis then revealed that Tucker was winking at him, joking around and ‘kind of being a d** about it’ and ‘getting under his skin’. “But me and Pat had the same mentality all week long… you gotta go in there with the right mindset and we just weren’t in a joking mood.” Kelce then apologized to Tucker for escalating it to another level but joked that when it comes to being a d***, he could one up him every time. “Tucker is known for this, he knows out to poke the buttons,” Jason added. Tucker’s antics obviously didn’t work as the Chiefs won the game 17-10 to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl . Following the victory, Mahomes gave his thoughts on Tucker’s behaviour. “I’ve had seven years of doing that same warmup routine, and there’s only been like three occasions where there’s been a kicker that wasn’t … moving out of the way. It was in Baltimore all three times,” Mahomes said Tuesday on 610 Sports Radio in Kansas City. “He does that to get under our skin. I asked him to move his stuff and he got up and moved it I think two inches but didn’t move it out of the way,” Mahomes added. NFL's Greatest...... Ranking the top 10...... Quarterbacks of all-time – Can anyone better Tom Brady? Wide receivers of all-time – Does Randy Moss or Jerry Rice come out on top? Running backs of all-time – Stacking Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith and more Tight ends of all-time – How does Travis Kelce compare? “I was going to let it slide, but Travis moved it for me and after that I wasn’t going to let him put it back down.” However, Tucker insisted that he’s ‘been doing the same exact thing for 12 years’ and ‘never really had a problem with anybody.’ He said the kicker always ‘goes to the other team’s designated warmup area on the field’ which is just what he was doing. “That’s kind of the way we’ve always done it. I saw Patrick there trying to warm up and get some dropbacks. He asked me while I was on the ground stretching if I could move my helmet,” Tucker said. “Then Travis comes over and just kicks my stuff and throws my helmet,” Tucker added. He added that it was “all in good fun, but they seemed to be taking it a little bit more seriously.” Mahomes finished the game completing 30-of-39 passes for 241 yards, and one touchdown. Kelce made a game-high 11 catches for 116 yards and a first half touchdown. Fast forward to 2026 and the Chiefs are 5-1 after losing to the Seattle Seahawks Sunday. Current kicker Butker missed two crucial field goals during the 20-3 defeat, likely prompting the move for Tucker, who has missed 15 total kicks since the start of the 2025 season. Once considered the best kicker in the NFL, Tucker was released by Ravens ahead of the 2025 NFL season. From 2013 to 2023, he made the first team All-Pro team five times and was a seven-time Pro Bowler, but his performances fell off towards the end of his time in Baltimore and he was released due to off-field issues. Tucker has worked out for several teams over the last 12 months but failed to find a home until now. Sign up for talkSPORT Stateside , the YouTube channel dedicated to passionate US Sports fans. Will Gavin, Brian T. Smith, former NFL star Efe Obada and a collection of special guests debate the biggest talking points across the NFL, soccer, NBA and more.