After Parker Romo missed a game-tying extra point against the Patriots in Week 9, the Atlanta Falcons knew it was time to consider other options. Raheem Morris said on Monday that the team was considering bringing in competition, and it didn't take long for the Dirty Birds to strike.
However, that came at the expense of Romo, as NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported that the Falcons were releasing the young placekicker as his consistency continued to falter. Garafolo also reported that Atlanta has signed Zane Gonzalez to take the 28-year-old's place on the active roster.
The #Falcons are signing veteran K Zane Gonzalez following a workout this morning, sources tell me and @RapSheet. The team is waiving Parker Romo, who was 11-for-14 on FGs with Atlanta and missed a late extra point in the 1-point loss to the #Patriots on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/4bdmxMPk7A
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 4, 2025
Gonzalez' stop in Atlanta will begin as the team travels to Berlin to face the Colts in Week 10, and it will mark his fifth NFL destination. The seventh-round pick of the Browns back in 2017 has also played for the Cardinals, Panthers, and Commanders, and last played for Washington last season.
Falcons' sign Zane Gonzalez, release Parker Romo amid kicker turmoil
On the season, Romo was 11-fot-14 on field goal attempts, but struggled to generate consistency after going 5-5 in his season debut against the Minnesota Vikings. Things got to the point where Morris was opting to go for it on fourth down due to a lack of trust in Romo, so this was inevitable.
As for Gonzalez, the 30-year-old has no shortage of NFL experience. The former Arizona State standout has bounced around a lot, but has made field goals at an impressive 96-for-120 (80%) rate throughout his six-year career.
However, after being cut by the Panthers back in 2021, he missed both the 2022 and 2023 seasons due to injury, which saw his trade to San Francisco never reap any benefits. But amid Austin Seibert's struggles in Washington last seaso, he was finally given another opportunity—and capitalized.
The ex-Lou Groza Award winner made 5-of-7 field goals and made all 19 extra points he attempted in 2024—and has missed only three extra points since 2019. At least connecting on those isn't something Falcons fans will have to worry about anymore after that heartbreaking Week 9 loss.
Something also worth noting is that Gonzalez is god from distance, as he's made 11 of 19 kicks from beyond 50 yards with a career-long of 57 yards. And back with the Panthers in 2021, he made 20 of 22 (90.9%) of his field goal attempts. Talk about a needed change.
After former fan favorite Younghoe Koo was released, fans knew the team needed a younger option, but nobody expected them to be moving on from Romo so quickly after his performance back in Week 2. But it's a reminder that kicker is a volatile position and nothing is guaranteed in this league.