Following his inconsistent 2024 season, the Atlanta Falcons had to know they had a Younghoe Koo problem. And, after just one week into the 2025 season, Atlanta did more than just admit it.
Head coach Raheem Morris brought in John Parker Romo to compete with Koo in practice, this past week, and ended up making the bold decision to sit the latter for Sunday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings.
Romo got the nod while Koo was a healthy scratch, and when it was all said and done, it sure looked like the Falcons had themselves their new kicker.
John Parker Romo took the Falcons kicker job and didn't look back
It started just a little on the uneasy side, with Romo narrowly making his initial attempt from 38 yards out. In fact, the replay showed the new Falcons kicker cutting it real close, but it was ruled successful.
From there, the Virginia Tech product did not look back. He would wind up going an impressive 5-for-5 on the night, scoring the Falcons' first 15 points in their victory over Minnesota while also knocking through an extra point late in the game.
To fans, this could have been a more exciting game. It was further down on the boring end of the spectrum than it was exciting. Yet, for Romo, this was exactly the type of game he needed to cement himself as "the guy" in Atlanta, rather than incite another kicker battle.
For Koo, this likely means the end of the road in Atlanta. There's no reason for a team to carry two kickers, of course.
After over six years in red and black, Koo will be looking for a new team, in all likelihood. Going from being a castoff with the Los Angeles Chargers after his rookie year back in 2017, to being out of the league in 2018, Koo had to take a much different road than he had imagined.
But, in 2019, the Falcons signed him and he would go on to be a rousing success in Atlanta for the majority of his time with the team. He even earned a Pro Bowl bid back in 2020 when he led the NFL in field goals made with 37. But his fall off was mighty, which has led the Dirty Birds to move on—and seemingly strike gold with Romo.