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Falcons Promote John Parker Romo, Release Younghoe Koo

September 19th, 2025 at 10:41pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Falcons have made their Week 2 kicking change permanent by signing John Parker Romo to the active roster and releasing Younghoe Koo, per Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Koo missed a game-tying field goal as time expired in Week 1, leading Atlanta to explore other kicking options last week. Romo earned a spot on the practice squad with a tryout and was elevated to start in Week 2. He delivered with a perfect 5-for-5 performance on field goals with a long of 54 yards. Along with an extra point, Romo scored 16 of Atlanta’s 22 points in their victory over the Vikings.

It seemed clear after the game that Romo had earned another start, but the Falcons seem to believe they’ve found a long-term starter. Not only did they replace Koo with Romo on the active roster – solidifying his starting status for the rest of the season – they also handed him a two-year contract to prevent another kicker-needy team from scooping him up next offseason.

Romo is now up to 16 makes on 17 attempts in his career after going 11-for-12 in four games for the Vikings last season. Koo, meanwhile, will leave Atlanta after six seasons and 93 appearances for the Falcons. Despite a down year in 2024, which included a 73.5% field goal conversion rate and six misses inside 50 yards, the team did not bring in any veteran competition for training camp.

That changed quickly after Koo faltered in Week 1, and he will now hit free agency with the hopes of catching onto with another team that is looking for a new kicker, either due to injury or poor performance. Koo still owns a solid 85.8% conversion rate in his career, though he will have to convince a new suitor that his last year-and-a-half was an aberration.

This release will create more than $2MM in Falcons dead money, stemming from the four-year, $24.25MM extension Koo had signed. That contract ran through 2026. Koo, who caught on with the Falcons after washing out quickly with the Chargers, will look for a third chance in his age-31 season.

NFL Trade Rumors: Atlanta FalconsTransactionsJohn Parker RomoYounghoe Koo

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