After over a week of speculation about their kicker situation, the Atlanta Falcons announced this afternoon that they are releasing Younghoe Koo after seven seasons with the team. Koo played his college career at Georgia Southern and signed with the Falcons after a tryout with the team in October of 2019.
During his time with the Falcons, Koo was mostly consistent and one of the best in the NFL. Koo led the NFL in field goals made with 37 during the 2020 season, in which he was selected to the Pro Bowl.
In his career with the Falcons, Koo recorded 178 made field goals, including 29 from 50-plus yards. His career-long was a 58-yard game-winning field goal in the Falcons' 26-24 week 4 win against the New Orleans Saints last season.
Koo also played four games with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017 where he went 3-for-6 on field goals. In his NFL career, he made 85.8 percent of his field goal attempts in his eight seasons in the NFL.
Parker Romo takes over as starting kicker for Atlanta
With Koo now released, Parker Romo will remain the starting kicker for the Falcons going forward. Romo made his first start in the Falcons' 22-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday Night. Romo made five field goals with a long of 54 yards in the fourth quarter.
Romo's performance in his debut all but confirmed the Falcons' intentions about Koo and their decision to move forward without him. In the Falcons' gut-wrenching 23-20 Week 1 loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Koo missed a game-tying field goal that would've sent the game to overtime.
With Romo now in the spotlight, Falcons fans are confident that he can deliver for the team in close game situations, which could be the difference in Atlanta winning or losing the NFC South this season.
We'll see if Romo can build off his consistency as a kicker when the Falcons take on the Carolina Panthers in another division showdown this Sunday. Kickoff from Bank of America Stadium is set for 1 p.m. ET on FOX.