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John Parker Romo

Falcons To Sign K Zane Gonzalez, Waive K Parker Romo

November 4th, 2025 at 10:14am CST by Sam Robinson

For the second time this year, the Falcons are making a kicker change. They are waiving Parker Romo after a crucial missed extra point, and a more experienced option will replace him.

Zane Gonzalez resurfaced in Atlanta today for a workout, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport, who reports the team will make a Romo-for-Gonzalez switch at kicker. Gonzalez, who will follow Younghoe Koo and Romo as Falcons kickers this season, last kicked for the Commanders in 2024.

It took Gonzalez three years to find another gig following his 2021 Panthers cameo; he did not kick during the 2022 or ’23 seasons. But the persistent specialist became part of Washington’s kicker carousel last year. The Commanders stuck with Gonzalez to close the season and re-signed him in March, but they moved on for Matt Gay in free agency this past offseason.

Tuesday marked Gonzalez’s second Falcons audition this season; he was part of the contingent that worked out in September, as the team considered replacing Koo. The Falcons did end up cutting Koo, their kicker since 2019, but Romo became their replacement. Romo went 11 of 14 on field goals and made 12 of 13 extra points. Of course, the miss proved costly in a 24-23 loss to the Patriots. Romo also missed a field goal inside of 40 yards this season. Last year as a Vikings fill-in, Romo 11-for-12 and 7-for-8 on PATs.

Gonzalez, 30, was 5-for-7 on field goal tries with the Commanders last year. In the playoffs, he was 7-for-8. Between the regular season and the playoffs, the journeyman specialist was 27-for-27 on PATs. The league moving the PAT line back many years ago has created a complication for kickers, and teams have made changes — the Giants also among them — based on close-range misfires.

This will be Gonzalez’s fifth NFL team. Prior to Carolina, he kicked with Cleveland and Arizona. The Falcons going in this direction is interesting, considering they have two kickers — Lenny Krieg and Ben Sauls — on their practice squad. The rare three-kicker commitment does feature only one (Gonzalez) with any game experience. Koo had beaten out Krieg, a German import, for the Week 1 job.

Falcons To Stick With K John Parker Romo In Week 4

September 26th, 2025 at 1:30pm CST by Adam La Rose

SEPTEMBER 26: Though the Falcons did sign Sauls this week, Romo will be the team’s kicker on Sunday, per Josh Kendall of The Athletic. A performance that resembles his Week 2 output more than last week’s would likely be enough to keep the job moving forward, but missing multiple kicks again could give Sauls a shot in Week 5.

SEPTEMBER 23: The Falcons have already made one major move at the kicker position this season by releasing Younghoe Koo. That decision came about with John Parker Romo being tapped as Koo’s replacement.

[RELATED: Falcons Fire WRs Coach Ike Hilliard]

In Week 2, Romo connected on all five of his field goal attempts and his lone extra point kick. He appeared to be set for a lengthy spell as Atlanta’s preferred kicking option as a result, but things took a different turn in Week 3. During Sunday’s blowout loss to the Panthers, Romo missed both of his field goal tries. The team now appears to be set for a new round of auditions at the position.

“We have to bring competition in,” head coach Raheem Morris said of the kicker spot (via Josh Kendall of The Athletic). “You have to do that until we get it right. That’s something we will work diligently at.”

After a Week 1 loss in which Koo struggled, Morris made it clear free agent options would be explored. That resulted in the Romo signing and, shortly thereafter, the decision to release Koo after a run of six-plus years with the franchise. Workouts were held with free agents Zane Gonzalez, Michael Badgley, and Ben Sauls last time around.

It would come as little surprise if one or more of those kickers were to receive another look. Atlanta also has Lenny Krieg – who lost a training camp competition to Koo – in place on the practice squad. Moving on from Romo after one poor outing would certainly raise a number of eyebrows, especially given his strong showing in Week 2. Nevertheless, Morris and Co. seem to be in position to continue seeking out replacement options over the coming days.

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.

Falcons Rule Out Younghoe Koo, Elevate John Parker Romo; S Jordan Fuller Placed On IR

September 13th, 2025 at 6:21pm CST by Ely Allen

The Falcons made it clear that kicker Younghoe Koo was in danger of losing his role as the team’s primary kicker as they hosted a number of free agents and eventually signed John Parker Romo to the practice squad. Atlanta made the decision today to rule Koo out for the game and promote Romo as a standard gameday practice squad elevation.

Koo, playing in the fourth year of his five-year, $24.25MM contract, came into the season on thin ice. Koo’s first three years in Atlanta were stellar as he only missed seven of 94 field goal attempts. In the 2022 and 2023 seasons, though, Koo’s identical 32-for-37 results marked a career high for misses. The wheels seemed to come off in 2024 as Koo missed nine of 34 field goal attempts.

Therefore, when Koo missed a 44-yarder in an attempt to send the Falcons into overtime in their Week 1 matchup with the Buccaneers, it became apparent that he may lose more than just the game. With Romo coming in Tuesday, Koo had the week to change his coaches’ minds. In the end, he will not travel with the team. His out designation reasoning has been ruled as not being injury related.

Romo will get another opportunity after a short stint with the Vikings last year. When Minnesota’s regular kicker Will Reichard was placed on injured reserve, the team signed Romo to fill in. The latter did phenomenally in his time as a substitute, making 11 of 12 attempts, including a 55-yarder, though he did miss one of eight extra point attempts. Reichard’s stint on IR lasted the minimum four weeks, and Romo was waived upon his return.

The Falcons also placed safety Jordan Fuller on IR. The sixth-year veteran was among those released by Atlanta during roster cutdowns, but he found himself back in the fold shortly thereafter. Fuller played a special teams role in Week 1, but a knee injury will now result in an extended absence. At least a four-week spell on the sidelines is in store as a result of today’s move.

Atlanta’s other gameday elevation for Monday night is receiver David Sills. One of the team’s callups last week, Sills played just two snaps against the Buccaneers. A limited workload should again be in store this time around.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/9/25

September 9th, 2025 at 6:44pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Today’s practice squad transactions are highlighted by the release of a veteran running back. Nyheim Hines has been looking to revive his career since he missed the 2023 season thanks to a leg injury sustained in a jet ski collision. Since he was released by the Bills after that campaign, he’s spent time with the Browns and Chargers without getting into a game. A former fourth-round pick, Hines had four productive seasons with the Colts to begin his career, including a 2020 campaign where he compiled 862 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns.

Falcons To Explore K Options

September 9th, 2025 at 1:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

SEPTEMBER 9: The Falcons have indeed added another kicker by signing John Parker Romo to the practice squad, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Romo emerged as the best option out of a tryout group that also included Zane Gonzalez, Michael Badgley, and Ben Sauls, per Pelissero.

SEPTEMBER 8: In the wake of their Week 1 loss, the Browns expressed confidence in kicker Andre Szmyt and indicated no competition would be brought in. The opposite is true in the case of the Falcons.

Atlanta will look into alternative options at the position, head coach Raheem Morris said on Monday. Younghoe Koo narrowly made one of his kicks yesterday, with a deflection off one of the uprights resulting in a successful attempt. At the end of the contest, though, a 44-yard field goal which would have tied the game was missed.

“We have to bring a competitive edge,” Morris said (via The Athletic’s Josh Kendall). “We have to go out there and look. We have to bring in people to compete. It definitely creates that sense of urgency. It’s about the process you have to go through from a physical and mental standpoint.”

Morris added (via Kendall) Koo is the incumbent for the time being but said the team will explore veteran as well as “up and coming” options. With over $8MM in cap space, finances will not be an issue if an addition is to be made. For now, attention will turn to the free agents who choose to visit the Falcons, with Eddy Pineiro, Zane Gonzalez, and Greg Joseph among the most notable names on the market.

Koo enjoyed a strong run with the Falcons beginning in 2019. The 31-year-old South Korean earned a Pro Bowl nod the following year and remained among the league’s most consistent kickers until 2024. Last year, Koo missed nine of his 34 field goal attempts, resulting in a career-low accuracy rate of 73.5%.

A training camp competition took place involving Lenny Krieg, was was waived during roster cuts but retained via a practice squad agreement. Morris said the German-born Krieg, who first signed with Atlanta in March, is considered a developmental player but added he will receive another opportunity to earn the kicking gig. Koo has two years remaining on his contract and is owed a total of $8.5MM over that span.

A parting of ways between he and the Falcons has been speculated about dating back to last season’s struggles, but that has not been the case so far. It will nevertheless be interesting to see how the coming days play out with Atlanta searching out alternatives.

Patriots Set 53-Man Roster

August 26th, 2025 at 6:07pm CST by Ben Levine

Mike Vrabel‘s first roster as Patriots head coach is taking shape. The team announced the following moves as they set their initial 53-man roster:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR (designated for return):

Placed on IR:

In addition to cutting Strange, the organization also moved on from Demontrey Jacobs, who started 13 games for the Patriots last season. Elsewhere on the OL, it sounds like David Olajiga will land back on New England’s practice squad if he clears waivers, per Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald.

Perhaps the most surprising moves were the cuts the Patriots didn’t make. Kyle Dugger will stick around despite days of trade speculation. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Patriots did receive multiple trade offers for the safety, but his $9.75MM salary (and how much the Patriots would be forced to take on) was a hurdle during negotiations. Meanwhile, the Patriots are temporarily holding on to eight wide receivers, with players like Kendrick Bourne and Javon Baker making the squad.

Patriots To Sign K John Parker Romo To Practice Squad

December 10th, 2024 at 9:36am CST by Adam La Rose

John Parker Romo was waived by the Vikings once he was no longer needed as a fill-in kicker. No teams put in a claim, but he has not needed to wait long to find an interested suitor.

The Patriots are expected to sign Romo, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports. This will be a practice squad agreement, he adds. Romo had a successful short-term run in Minnesota after Will Reichard landed on injured reserve. Romo connected on 11 of 12 field goal tries and seven of eight extra point attempts over a four-game span.

Reichard is healthy again, though, and his activation led to Romo being placed on waivers. The latter will head to New England for the closing weeks of the season, although an immediate path to playing time does not exist. The Patriots have veteran Joey Slye in the fold after he was signed in May and won a preseason competition over incumbent Chad Ryland.

Slye has gone 22-for-28 on field goals this season, including four of six on attempts beyond 50 yards. The 28-year-old has missed only one of his 18 extra point kicks, making his season a more successful one than Ryland’s in 2023. Since Slye is on a on-year contract, however, the Patriots could soon find themselves in need of a replacement at the position. Romo could use the coming weeks to audition for at least an offseason roster spot.

The Virginia Tech product earned first-team All-XFL honors in 2023, something which kept him on the NFL radar after he was unable to see regular season game time with the Saints and Lions. Romo was briefly with the Bears last year, but it was not until his recent Vikings spell that he found himself on an active roster and in a gameday lineup. After the success of his Minnesota stint, Romo will look to carve out a spot in New England’s kicking plans.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/7/24

December 7th, 2024 at 8:17pm CST by Ely Allen

Saturday’s minor transactions, including gameday practice squad elevations:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Eagles starting tight end Dallas Goedert has been placed on injured reserve, so Jenkins will come up from the practice squad for a little added depth.

Vikings To Place K Will Reichard On IR; Team To Add K John Parker Romo, LS Jake McQuaide

November 5th, 2024 at 1:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

Perfect on field goals until Sunday night, Will Reichard will see his rookie season interrupted by injury. After battling through a quad issue in Week 9, the Vikings kicker is headed to IR, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.

The Vikings are bringing in John Parker Romo, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo, and making an injury-driven long snapper change. With Andrew DePaola going down, Garafolo adds Jake McQuaide is coming aboard.

This will mark some noticeable changes for the Vikes, who saw DePaola go down with a hand injury that will require surgery. McQuaide will stay in the NFC North, having made his previous two career stops with the Lions and Bears. Chicago released McQuaide from its practice squad last week.

A sixth-round pick out of Alabama, Reichard started his season 14 of 14 — including a 4-for-4 connect rate from 50-plus yards. He missed two kicks Sunday night, doing so as the quad injury hindered him. The Vikings, who moved on from three-year kicker Greg Joseph this offseason, will turn to Romo while the rookie recovers.

Prior to adding Romo, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes the Vikes worked out Tristan Vizcaino. Randy Bullock was also at this audition, per KTSP’s Darren Wolfson. The Giants released Bullock this week; he had been serving as their Graham Gano fill-in.

Romo is 27 but has yet to kick in an NFL game. Like McQuaide, he has a past in Detroit and Chicago — along with New Orleans — but spent time with the Vikings this offseason. Minnesota, however, waived the former UDFA in July. Having kicked at three schools (Central Arkansas, Tulsa, Virginia Tech over a six-year period), Romo kicked in the XFL in 2023. That marks his only regular-season game experience since college. That figures to change soon.

This is poised to be McQuaide’s first action this season. A 10-year Rams veteran who snapped in Super Bowl LIII, McQuaide caught on with the Cowboys in 2021. After two Dallas seasons, the now-36-year-old snapper played for the Lions last year. This will mark a third straight season of part-time duty for McQuaide, who caught on with Detroit midway through last season and played just four games with Dallas in 2022.

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