The Atlanta Falcons have released longtime kicker Younghoe Koo and signed John Parker Romo to their 53-man roster, the team announced Friday.
Koo had been with the Falcons since 2019 and has the fourth-most made field goals (178) in the NFL during that stretch, according to TruMedia.
Last season, however, Koo began to struggle with consistency, converting 73.5 percent of his field-goal attempts. That average was well below the mark he set in Atlanta during his first five seasons, when he made 89.9 percent of his tries.
He dealt with a hip injury in 2024 that landed him on injured reserve but was ready for this year’s season opener. Koo missed a game-tying 44-yard field goal try in Week 1, a 23-20 home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He was ruled out of Atlanta’s Week 2 road win over the Minnesota Vikings with a non-injury-related designation.
The Falcons could have dragged this decision out two more weeks and continued to use standard practice elevations to move Romo from the practice squad to the active roster on game days, but they clearly felt the time was right to make the move now after Romo’s 5-for-5 performance on Sunday against the Vikings.
“I just learned (Romo’s) name a couple days ago,” Atlanta defensive lineman Ruke Orhorhoro said this week. “I was in the hot tub, and we chopped it up for a little bit. It was really good to see him go out there and execute. It brings life to the team.”
Romo himself clearly had some indication that he had won the job because his wife and two young children moved from Arkansas to Atlanta this week, he said. Romo’s only previous NFL experience before last week was hitting 11 of 12 attempts for Minnesota last season.
“You get an opportunity, you have to take advantage of it, and he definitely did,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said. “I think everybody knows his name right now.”
The 31-year-old Koo was one of the league’s best kickers from 2019-2023, hitting 89.9 percent of his field goals, the fourth-highest percentage among kickers with at least 50 attempts in those four seasons.
However, since the start of the 2024 season, he ranked 31st among regular kickers with a 73 percent rate. He missed three field goals in a three-point loss to the division rival New Orleans Saints in Week 10 last year, and then missed a game-tying field goal and an extra point against the Buccaneers in Week 1 this year.
“Unfortunately, we have been having this conversation more than I would like to,” Koo said after the Tampa Bay game. “Just got to get back to work, definitely frustrated. Had a great offseason, great camp. Two weeks leading into Week 1, I felt great. I still do.”
Atlanta worked out Romo two days after the Tampa Bay loss and signed him to the practice squad.
The Falcons signed Koo to a five-year, $24.25 million deal in 2022. His $4.25 million salary for this season became fully guaranteed in Week 1, and Atlanta will now have a dead cap hit of $5.5 million in 2025 and $1.25 million in 2026 from the contract.
(Photo of Younghoe Koo: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
