Falcons release Koo after Romo’s standout Week 2 performance

The Atlanta Falcons released kicker Younghoe Koo on Friday, ending his six-year run with the franchise and naming Parker Romo as the replacement after Romo’s standout Week 2 showing against the Minnesota Vikings. Romo connected on all five of his field-goal attempts in the 22-6 victory, including a 54-yard make that helped seal the win. The Falcons announced the move shortly after Romo’s breakout performance, which followed an earlier miscue that reshaped the team’s approach to its kicking game this season.

Koo, 31, had been with Atlanta since the 2019 season and developed a reputation as one of the league’s more reliable kickers, earning a Pro Bowl selection along the way. He posted a career field-goal percentage near the top of the league, averaging 90.1 percent from 2020 through 2023. His 2024 season, by contrast, carried a dip in accuracy, with a 73.5 percent success rate on kicks. Ahead of the 2025 season, the Falcons reportedly saw Koo deliver strong numbers in the team’s training camp and preseason, hitting about 90.2 percent of his kicks, which had initially earned him the starting job.

The widening gap between the years helped shape Atlanta’s decision. In Week 1, Koo missed a 44-yard field goal as time expired in a 23-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a miss that prompted the Falcons to sign Romo to the practice squad shortly thereafter. Romo then started Week 2 against Minnesota and went 5-for-5 on field goals, including the 54-yard effort that capped the Falcons’ win. The performance quickly elevated Romo from depth to starter-in-waiting, and the team moved to formalize that status by releasing Koo on Friday. After Romo’s showing, the Falcons clearly trusted him to handle the kicking duties moving forward.

Romo’s late-week surge also drew attention beyond the Xs and Os. His postgame remarks were picked up online, with observers noting his lighthearted take after a high-pressure introduction to starter duties. The moment underscored how quickly Romo’s thunderous debut amplified expectations in Atlanta’s kicking game and, by extension, for the team’s 2025 campaign.

Koo’s tenure with the Falcons began with promise, built on accuracy and consistency that made him a cornerstone of Atlanta’s special-teams unit for years. His 2019 arrival coincided with a shift in the franchise’s approach to kicking, and his performance over the next several seasons solidified his status as one of the game’s more dependable specialists. Yet the last year’s drop in percentage and the rapid surge in Romo’s Week 2 performance created a pivot point. The Falcons’ decision reflects a broader assessment of how best to maximize points in a league where every yard and every kick can alter a game’s trajectory.

As Romo moves into the starting role, the Falcons will rely on him not only for field goals but also for extra points and potentially kickoffs, depending on the club’s broader roster strategy. The organization’s announcement closed a chapter that began in 2019 and established a new one that will be written in 2025 on the strength of a young kicker who proved his potential on a national stage.

The Falcons’ decision to move on from Koo comes at a moment when teams continually reassess kicking stability amid the demands of a long NFL season. Romo’s emergence provides a narrative shift for Atlanta, which will look to capitalize on his accuracy and composure as it navigates a demanding schedule and contending aspirations in 2025. The next steps for the Falcons will be watched closely as Romo handles kick duties and the team builds around him and a restocked roster for a season that could hinge on precision at the point of attack.