Younghoe Koo has to be a free agent priority for the Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons will be represented in Sunday’s Pro-Bowl.

Despite the rough 4-12 season for the Atlanta Falcons, there were a few bright spots on the field, including the two players that were elected to the 2021 Pro-Bowl – kicker Younghoe Koo and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett.

Jarrett was not a surprise choice for the Pro-Bowl and had the Falcons had a better season than 4-12, Grady would have been an All-Pro selection for the first time in his career as the only interior defensive lineman better than Grady is Aaron Donald – and it isn’t by much.

We would be lying if we said Younghoe Koo being selected to the Pro-Bowl wasn’t a complete surprise. Not because he wasn’t deserving but because no one saw it coming when he replaced the franchise’s best kicker – Matt Bryant.

Koo struggled his first couple years in the NFL and was cut by both the Chargers and the Patriots before getting another opportunity with the Atlanta Falcons. The third time was definitely a charm for Koo and he has made the most of it.

To say Koo isn’t the best placekicker in the NFL would be patently false and to not have been selected as the All-Pro kicker in 2020 is an embarrassment to all that voted for that selection.

To clarify, we are talking about the AP All-Pro team as Koo and Jason Sanders were both selected as The Sporting News All-Pro kicker in 2020. The AP voters selected Sanders as their first-team kicker and Justin Tucker as their second team kicker.

A quick search will show that Koo had a better year than both and it isn’t debatable.

Younghoe Koo has to be the first free agent the Atlanta Falcons sign.

As of right now, Younghoe Koo is a free agent. He signed a one year $750 thousand deal last year and no one made an attempt to extend his time in Atlanta. If he chooses to entertain other offers and takes the highest bid, the Falcons will have let the game’s best young kicker walk away for no other reason than sheer stupidity.

When you look across the league, kicking is at a premium, and someone as good as Koo is very very rare. Not only is he one of the best placekickers, but he is also one of the best kickoff men and by far the best onside kicker in the league.

Letting Koo walk will be a huge mistake by Terry Fontenot and hopefully a mistake he will not make in his first four months as an NFL general manager.