Falcons release longtime kicker Younghoe Koo, elevate Parker Romo from practice squad as his replacement
Koo spent the past seven years in Atlanta but has struggled recently
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The Atlanta Falcons are parting ways with the No. 3 scorer in franchise history, as the team announced Friday the release of kicker Younghoe Koo. John Parker Romo will be the Falcons' kicker moving forward, as he made all three field goal attempts and his one extra point attempt in the Week 2 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Koo, 31, has kicked in Atlanta since 2019, appearing in 89 total games. He made 86.8% of his field goals and 96% of his extra points and his 700 total points ranks third in Falcons history, behind Matt Bryant and Morten Andersen. However, his recent struggles caused the team to go in a different direction.
Koo missed a potential tying 44-yard field goal at the end of the Falcons' Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was then ruled out for Week 2 due to reasons that were non-injury related and Romo excelled in his place. Koo's Week 2 absence came on the heels of his worst season in Atlanta when he made just 73.5% of his field goals in 2024.
Falcons sign new kicker after Younghoe Koo misses game-tying field goal in loss to Buccaneers, per report
Bryan DeArdo
Koo made the Pro Bowl in his first full season with the Falcons in 2020 after leading the NFL with 37 field goals with a long of 54 yards. Koo missed just two field goals that entire season, and made 27 consecutive field goals during a stretch from Weeks 4-15. It was the longest such streak in a single season in franchise history.
As for Romo, he bounced around the NFL to begin his career after going undrafted out of Virginia Tech in 2022, spending short stints with the New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears, but never kicked for any of those teams. He also kicked for the XFL's San Antonio Brahmas in 2023. In 2024, the Vikings signed Romo, and he made 11 of 12 field goals and seven of eight extra points in four games played.
Now, the Falcons are giving him a chance to be their full-time placekicker ahead of their Week 3 matchup with the Carolina Panthers. The Falcons are 5.5-point favorites in Carolina, per FanDuel Sportsbook.
