FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons have released kicker Younghoe Koo, the organization announced Friday.
The Falcons have signed Parker Romo to the 53-man roster and will move forward with him as the team's kicker. He was 5-for-5 in Atlanta’s Sunday Night Football win over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2. One of those kicks included a 54-yarder.
Koo has been with the Falcons since 2019. Up until the 2024 season, Koo consistently put up field goal success rates that led the league. During his time in Atlanta, Koo moved into the Falcons' record books. He has scored exactly 700 points for the team, which are third most in franchise history, behind Matt Bryant and Morten Andersen.
His best year came in 2020, when he made a league-leading 37 field goals with a 94.9% success rate. He was voted to the Pro Bowl that year.
However, Koo's consistency declined in recent years. Last season, he converted 25 of his 34 total field goal attempts. That success rate of 73.5% was the lowest he'd had as an Atlanta Falcon. Koo was placed on injured reserve in Week 16 of the 2024 season with a hip injury.
Back fully healthy for the 2025 season, Koo had a good offseason worth of prep with Atlanta. Special teams coordinator Marquice Williams said Koo made 92% of his kicks during the team's training camp and preseason, earning the starting job for the Falcons to begin the season.
"I want to thank the Falcons organization for giving me an opportunity when no one else would six years ago," Koo posted on Instagram. "This place helped me grow as a kicker and as a man. I will forever be grateful for the support from the fans during my time here. I have nothing but love and respect for everyone in the building, I wish yall the best. I'm full of gratitude and excitement as I continue my journey in this league."
The Falcons brought Romo in and signed him to the practice squad after Koo missed a 44-yard field goal in the final seconds of the Falcons' Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The kick — had it been made — would have sent the game into overtime.
With this miss, Koo moved to 11-of-16 (68.5%) in his career on field goal attempts that would either tie a game or take the lead in the final minute of a game. Prior to Week 1's loss this season, he had made seven straight field goals in this type of end-of-game situation.
According to Pro Football Reference, Koo made 178-of-205 field goals attempted (86.8%) with a career long of 58 yards during his time with the Falcons. Here is a breakdown of those kicks by yardage, according to StatsPerform as of his last kick for Atlanta in the fourth quarter of Week 1:
- 35-39 yards: 29-of-33 (87.9%)
- 40-44 yards: 23-of-30 (82.8%)
- 45-49 yards: 24-of-29 (82.8%)
- 50-plus yards: 29-of-40 (72.5%)
With Koo's release official, the Falcons will take on a reported $1.25 million in dead money this year but save $4.25 million towards the salary cap, according to OverTheCap.com. Including the 2025 season, Koo had two years left on his current deal with Atlanta. The dead money and cap savings are similar figures for the Falcons in 2026.
Again, Atlanta will move forward with Romo as the team's starting kicker, with international player Lenny Krieg remaining on the team's practice squad.
