Jets Sign K Younghoe Koo
The Jets are adding another option to their kicking competition. Younghoe Koo will stay in New York and join the city’s AFC team, according to SNY’s Connor Hughes. The deal is now official, per a team announcement.
A longtime Falcons option, Koo spent part of last season with the Giants after his Atlanta release. Koo joins Cade York and Lenny Krieg, the latter having been in a kicking competition with Koo in Atlanta during the 2025 offseason, on the Jets’ 90-man roster.
Kicking in five Giants games last season, Koo is certainly better remembered for his Falcons stay. The South Korea native played parts of seven seasons with Atlanta and opened last year as the team’s kicker. The Falcons cut Koo after he struggled in Week 1, however, and he did not see regular-season action again until November. Koo, 31, finished 6-for-9 on field goal tries as a Giant last season. He missed both his attempts from 50-plus yards.
The Giants waived Koo after he missed two 50-plus-yarders in a December loss to the Commanders. Koo tried out for the Saints earlier this month but was not signed. A Jets team that lost Nick Folk to the Falcons in free agency will give Koo a shot after adding both York and Krieg this offseason. Krieg joined the Jets on a futures deal in January, while York signed a one-year deal in March. No guarantees are present on York’s contract, opening up this competition. The Jets waived kicker Will Ferrin earlier this month.
Despite York arriving nearly three months before Koo, the latter certainly has a better NFL track record. Koo earned Pro Bowl recognition in 2020 and signed a five-year, $24.25MM extension in 2022. Koo made more than 93% of his field goal attempts in 2020 and ’21, leading the Falcons to their long-term investment, and nailed 86.5% of his tries in 2022 and ’23. In 2024, however, Koo hit just 73.5% of his tries. This came for a team primarily playing indoors.
Struggling over the past two years — which included a viral moment when a Monday-night FG attempt featured the veteran missing the ball entirely — Koo will have a rebound opportunity in a competition without another experienced option.
Saints To Work Out QBs Kyle Trask, Easton Stick
The Saints are exploring their options for veteran quarterback depth. Easton Stick and Kyle Trask are both set to try out for the team at their rookie minicamp, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football.
2025 second-round pick Tyler Shough took over as the Saints’ starting quarterback midway through his rookie season, with 2024 fifth-rounder Spencer Rattler demoted to backup. The pair of young passers are set to return in those roles this year, but with just three combined seasons in the NFL, New Orleans may prefer a more experienced player for the third-string job.
The team already signed former Jets first-rounder Zach Wilson to a veteran minimum deal this offseason. His 33 career starts are more than Shough and Rattler combined, though none have come since 2023. Stick and Trask have less playing experience, but they have spent just as much time in the league.
Stick, 30, was a fifth-round pick by the Chargers in 2019. He only appeared in one game (and attempted one pass) across the first four years of his career, but started four games in 2023 with Justin Herbert sidelined by season-ending surgery. Stick played surprisingly well, but Los Angeles went winless in his starts. He has not seen the field since and spent last year with the Falcons.
The Buccaneers saw some starting potential in Trask, who they selected with a second-round pick in 2021. He spent two years behind Tom Brady with virtually no playing time, and he did not inspire enough confidence to earn a shot at the starting quarterback job after Brady’s retirement in 2023. Instead, Tampa Bay transitioned to Baker Mayfield, who played all but a handful of snaps across the next two years. The Bucs released Trask during final roster cuts last season; the 28-year-old took Stick’s spot on the Falcons’ practice squad in November when he was promoted to the active roster.
The Saints will also be hosting former Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo at rookie minicamp, according to Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football. He boasted a 89.9% field goal conversion rate from 2019 to 2023, but lost the job in 2024 after going 24 for 35 (73.5%) to start the season. Koo appeared in one game for the Falcons and five for the Giants, making six of his nine field goals and just two of five from beyond 40 yards.
He could still offer some competition to Charlie Smyth, who took over as the team’s kicker midway through last season. He converted 12 of his 16 field goal attempts and all 13 of his extra points, a solid performance for the Northern Ireland native in his first regular-season action.
Giants Waive K Younghoe Koo, Claim LB Caleb Murphy
The Giants made a flurry of roster moves on Tuesday, including the release of kicker Younghoe Koo and the addition of linebacker Caleb Murphy via waivers, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz and KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.
Koo, 31, took over the Giants’ kicking job after Graham Gano suffered a herniated disk that forced him onto injured reserve for the second time this season. Gano previously missed Weeks 4 though 7 with a groin injury, during which time Jude McAtamney kicked in his place. He made both of his field goals but only nine of his 12 extra point tries. McAtamney returned to the practice squad when Gano came back in Week 8 and was later released altogether.
When Gano’s neck injury popped up in early November, the Giants signed Koo and undrafted free agent Ben Sauls to their practice squad. Koo won the starting job and made his first 12 kicks across four games, but failed to convert his two field goal attempts in Week 15. Though both misses came from outside of 50 yards, New York opted to waive the veteran and give Sauls a chance.
The rookie out of Pitt signed, fittingly, with the Steelers after the draft. Though he had virtually no chance of overtaking longtime starter Chris Boswell, he performed well in the preseason with a five-for-six mark on field goals and a perfect six-for-six showing on extra points. Sauls is now in line to make his NFL debut on Sunday against the Vikings.
Murphy, 26, will join his third team of the season after stints with the Chargers and the Patriots. He primarily featured on special teams and will likely continue in a similar role in New York.
The Giants also designated fourth-year offensive lineman Evan Neal to return from injured reserve. The former first-rounder’s mid-November hamstring injury and subsequent IR placement seemed to signify the end of his time in New York, but Neal may come back this season after all. The Giants do not necessarily need reinforcements along their offensive line, though, and Joshua Ezeudu returned to practice last week. If he is activated to the 53-man roster, there may not be room for Neal, so today’s move could have been a formality to give him some more practice reps before the year’s end.
Giants Place OL Evan Neal On IR
The Giants placed offensive lineman Evan Neal on injured reserve, per a team announcement, likely ending the former first-round pick’s season and time in New York.
Neal has not appeared in a game all year but popped up on this week’s injury report with a hamstring issue that kept him out of practice. He could be activated after his four-game stint on IR is up, but his lack of a game day role suggests that the Giants would rather use the roster spot on another player.
It is hard to see Neal, the No. 5 pick in the 2022 draft, as anything but a bust. He was named the Giants’ starting right tackle as a rookie and kept it for the whole season, though he missed a few games due to an MCL sprain. Neal was benched midway through his second year and did not make enough progress over the subsequent offseason to get his job back. Injuries along the Giants’ offensive line in 2024 pressed Neal back into duty at right tackle for the last seven games of the season.
The Giants turned down Neal’s fifth-year option in May and were hoping a change to guard could salvage the final year of his rookie contract. The position switch did not take, and Neal is now poised to hit free agency as a potential reclamation project for another team.
New York’s other Saturday roster moves including the promotion of kicker Younghoe Koo to the active roster from the practice squad. Graham Gano was placed on injured reserve (for a second time) earlier this week, so Koo will take over the team’s kicking duties for the next four games. He made all four of his kicks in Week 10, though they all came inside of 40 yards.
The Giants also elevated wide receiver Dalen Cambre and defensive lineman Elijah Chatman from the practice squad for Sunday’s matchup against the Packers. Cambre, an undrafted rookie out of Louisiana, will make his NFL debut, likely as a special teams contributor. He could see some time on offense with veteran wideout Darius Slayton ruled out. Chatman, meanwhile, will make his 2025 debut with Chauncey Golston and Rakeem Nunez-Roches both expected to be sidelined. Chatman made the 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie last year and appeared in all 17 games with a 39% snap share, but he could not replicate the feat this season.
Giants K Graham Gano Returns To IR
It was an inauspicious start to the season in New York when kicker Graham Gano was placed on injured reserve after only the third game of the season. After only appearing in 18 of a possible 34 games in the past two seasons, the Giants needed Gano healthy as they entered his sixth year with the team. Gano was able to return a couple weeks ago after missing the minimum four games but has promptly been returned to IR, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. 
Gano, 38, has been with the Giants since 2020, earning two separate three-year extensions for a combined $30.5MM. It was a knee injury that sidelined Gano for nine games in 2023, while a groin issue held him out of seven contests last year. In addition to the injuries, Gano struggled with his accuracy whenever he was available. Gano missed six of 17 field goal attempts in 2023, with two misses coming from inside the 30-yard line. While he improved a bit in 2024, going nine for 11, one of those misses was also from inside 40 yards.
It was, once again, a groin injury that landed Gano on IR near the start of this year. The injury occurred during pregame warmups, and Gano tried to make a go of it later in the game after punter Jamie Gillan saw his sole extra point attempt blocked, but ultimately, an IR placement was needed. This time, it was reportedly neck soreness — later determined to be a herniated disk (per Ryan Dunleavy of New York Post Sports) — that threatened Gano’s playing time and ultimately led to his second IR stint this season.
After Gano’s first injury, the team signed veteran kicker Younghoe Koo to their practice squad, joining him with existing taxi squad kicker Jude McAtamney. New York opted to go with McAtamney in those four weeks without Gano, but after watching him miss three extra point attempts in two games and only sending him out to attempt field goals shorter than 32 yards, the Giants switched it up with Koo last week. Koo made both of his point after tries and both of his field goal attempts in the Windy City.
Already rostering Koo and McAtamney on the taxi squad and Gano on IR, the team added a bit more insurance yesterday by making Ben Sauls the third kicker on their 17-man practice squad. Sauls has made the rounds since signing as an undrafted free agent with the Steelers after kicking in the same stadium in college at Pitt. After failing to make the initial 53-man roster, Sauls signed with Koo’s former Falcons on a practice squad deal before getting released last Tuesday.
We identified Gano as a potential cap casualty in the offseason, and at this point, shuffling three kicking replacements on their practice squad, the Giants likely regret not acting on that possible cost-cutting move. Utilizing the potential out built into his contract, which expires in 2027, New York could have reclaimed $3.17MM of cap savings by cutting Gano early in the offseason with only $2.5MM of dead money to burn. If they had made him a post-June 1 release, they may have gotten $4.42MM in cap savings with only $1.25MM of dead money.
Instead, his contract remains on the ledger, and the Giants are paying three practice squad contracts as they search for an effective, consistent injury replacement for the third season in a row. The current situation has set Gano up to be a cut candidate once again in the near future.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/8/25
Several teams around the NFL made tweaks to their rosters on Saturday in preparation for Sunday’s slate of games. Here are all the latest moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed from practice squad: RB Michael Carter
- Elevated: LB Jared Bartlett, CB Darren Hall
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: CB Keith Taylor, OL Joshua Gray
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: DT Taven Bryan
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: CB Dane Jackson, LB Baylon Spector
Carolina Panthers
- Signed from practice squad: DT Jared Harrison-Hunte
- Elevated: WR Dan Chisena
- Waived: QB Mike White
Chicago Bears
- Elevated: TE Stephen Carlson
Detroit Lions
- Activated from IR: S Daniel Thomas
- Elevated: OL Michael Niese
- Waived: S Jammie Robinson
Houston Texans
- Signed from practice squad: CB Damon Arnette, K Matthew Wright (story)
- Elevated: DB Myles Bryant, OL Sidy Sow
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed from practice squad: WR Laquon Treadwell
- Elevated: DE Durell Nchami, DT Tim Smith
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: WR Tim Jones
Los Angeles Chargers
- Activated from IR: LS Josh Harris, CB Deane Leonard, DL Da’Shawn Hand
- Elevated: RB Jaret Patterson, RB Trayveon Williams
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: LS Jake McQuaide, K Harrison Mevis (story)
Miami Dolphins
- Signed from practice squad: TE Hayden Rucci
- Elevated: LB Quinton Bell, CB Isaiah Johnson
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed from practice squad: CB Fabian Moreau
- Elevated: RB Corey Kiner
- Placed on IR: CB Jeff Okudah
New England Patriots
- Elevated: LB Darius Harris, RB D’Ernest Johnson
New Orleans Saints
- Elevated: WR Dante Pettis, T William Sherman
New York Giants
- Elevated: K Younghoe Koo, WR Ray-Ray McCloud
- Placed on IR: WR Beaux Collins, LB Darius Muasau
New York Jets
- Elevated: OL Kohl Levao, DT Payton Page
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed from practice squad: RB Trey Sermon
- Elevated: LB Mark Robinson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed from practice squad: WR Cody White
- Elevated: WR Ricky White
Washington Commanders
- Elevated: WR Robbie Chosen
Week 10 will mark the debut for both players the Chargers gave the IR-designated for return label during roster cutdowns in August. Their activations had already been accounted for, but Hand’s had not. With those three now back in the fold, the Bolts have three IR activations remaining on the season.
Giants’ Graham Gano Battling Neck Injury; Younghoe Koo Likely To Kick Sunday
NOVEMBER 7: Gano is not taking part in Friday’s practice. To little surprise, then, Daboll said (via ESPN’s Jordan Raanan) he “assumes” it will be Koo handling kicking duties in Week 10.
NOVEMBER 6: Injuries have been a frequent problem for Giants kicker Graham Gano since he signed a three-year, $16.5MM contract extension in 2023. After combining for 18 of a possible 34 appearances from 2023-24, Gano has already missed four of the Giants’ nine games this year. He could sit out again when the Giants face the Bears on Sunday.
Gano, now battling neck soreness, spent time on IR earlier this season with a groin injury. The 38-year-old missed a field goal in a 34-24 loss to the 49ers last Sunday, his second game since coming off IR, but has connected on his other nine attempts this season. Gano is is also a perfect 9 for 9 on extra points.
While Gano has put together a more-than-respectable career since debuting with Washington in 2009, the former Pro Bowler admitted Thursday that injuries and outside criticism have taken their toll (via Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports).
“It’s unbelievably frustrating,” Gano said. “I can’t control the injuries that have happened. It’s not like I’ve done something that is out of the ordinary outside of the building to hurt myself or anything. I just want to play ball, and constantly not being able to is tough. Doing everything I can to try to come back and play, and that’s my hope.”
If Gano is unable to suit up in Week 10, the Giants are preparing to use practice squad kicker Younghoe Koo, head coach Brian Daboll said (via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post). Also a former Pro Bowler, Koo had a long run with the Falcons, who released him after a costly missed field goal in a 23-20 loss to the Buccaneers in Week 1. The 31-year-old caught on with New York’s practice squad on Sept. 23.
Although Koo has been with the Giants for about a month and a half, he hasn’t kicked in a game with them yet. The Giants instead turned to Jude McAtamney during Gano’s four-game absence. McAtamney converted his only two field-goal attempts while filling in for Gano, but he missed three of his 12 extra-point tries. Two of those misses came in a 33-32 loss to the Broncos in Week 7. The Giants cut and re-signed McAtamney to their practice squad after their Denver disaster, and the Northern Ireland native is now behind Koo in the pecking order.
Despite having Koo and McAtamney around as fallback options, the Giants worked out free agent kicker Ben Sauls on Thursday, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic. As Duggan notes, the undrafted rookie from Pittsburgh signed with Atlanta’s practice squad after the team moved on from Koo. The Falcons cut Sauls on Tuesday.
Giants To Sign K Younghoe Koo
The Giants are signing Younghoe Koo to the practice squad as insurance for injured kicker Graham Gano, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
Gano tweaked his groin during warmups before Sunday’s game against the Chiefs. That clearly affected the Giants’ decision-making. Punter Jamie Gillan was inserted for kickoffs and PATs, and Brian Daboll elected to go for a fourth-and-3 rather than kick a 45-yard field goal on New York’s first drive. Gillian’s extra point attempt on the Giants’ sole touchdown was blocked, and the team later called on Gano for a successful 25-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
Adding Koo to the practice squad indicates that there is at least a chance that Gano’s injury could sideline him for the Giants’ Week 4 matchup with the Chargers. This would not be Gano’s first injury absence as a Giant. He has been one of the more unreliable kickers in recent memory, missing seven games last season and nine in 2023.
That would give Koo another chance to play in 2025 after being released by the Falcons last week. He missed a game-tying field goal as time expired in the regular season opener, and Atlanta decided to bench him in Week 2 favor of John Parker Romo. He aced his audition by making all six of his kick and received a two-year deal before Week 3 while Koo was sent packing.
The Giants will be hoping Koo can look more like his pre-2024 form if he has to play. From 2019-2023, he was one of the most accurate kickers in the league with a 89.9% conversion rate across 74 games for the Falcons.
The team will also be monitoring Gano carefully this week. He was extremely consistent during his first three years in New York and was five-for-five on field goals and four-for-four on extra points to start the 2025 season. However, his play took a hit amid IR stints in 2023 and 2024, so taking a cautious approach and allowing his groin to fully heal might be the smartest path forward. Signing Koo gives the Giants flexibility to do just that.
Falcons Promote John Parker Romo, Release Younghoe Koo
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
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.