The last two seasons have marked a dramatic fall from grace for Younghoe Koo. After his first season with the Atlanta Falcons saw him emerge as one of the NFL's best kickers and be named to the Pro Bowl in 2020, his 73.5% field goal percentage in 2024 marked a career low.
Moreover, he's been one of the worst kickers in football since the start of last season—something that was only amplified after missing a game-tying field goal in Week 1 against the Buccaneers. That led to the Falcons to replace him with John Parker Romo before releasing the eight-year NFL veteran. But after 89 games in Atlanta, Koo has found himself a new NFL home.
It didn't take the 31-year-old long to land elsewhere. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported earlier that the former New Jersey high school standout signed with the New York Giants' practice squad. And with Graham Gano again nursing a groin injury, Falcons can't help but root for their former fan favorite.
In other #Giants news: The team is signing former #Falcons K Younghoe Koo to their practice squad, per me and @MikeGarafolo. pic.twitter.com/ccPqVJUXyH
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 23, 2025
Even without Younghoe Koo, the Falcons' kicker woes remain
Most of the Giants news on Tuesday has been dominated by the announcement that Jaxson Dart will make his first career start in Week 4 against the Chargers, but this is an important development. The 38-year-old Gano has not played a full 17 games since 2022, so there is a real opportunity that Koo becomes the Giants' next kicker.
But while the Falcons' former kicker is busy putting pen to paper, the team is still looking to bolster their current kicking situation. Following a 5-for-5 outing on Sunday Night Football in his season debut, Romo looked like a vastly different kicker against the Panthers compared to in Minnesota.
There were a plethora of reasons why Atlanta was shut out by Carolina on Sunday, and the kicking was one of many. Romo went 0-2 on field goal attempts in Week 2, failing to convert on kicks from 49 and 55 yards out.
Bryce Young and the Panthers were equipped with favorable field position on several drives and managed to prevail 30-0 despite Young only throwing for 121 yards. Koo had lost his clutch gene, and that's why Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot moved on, but the question marks still remain.
Morris admitted on Monday that the team would bring on more competition for Romo, which makes sense since Lenny Kreig is the only competition for the Peachtree City native now that the Georgia Southern product is in the Big Apple. It's a sad development for Falcons fans, but this signals that the revolving door at kicker is only just beginning.