The Atlanta Falcons have made a permanent switch in the kicking game by releasing veteran Younghoe Koo in favour of Parker Romo.

Koo had been a staple of the Falcons special teams since 2019, emerging as one of the most accurate kickers in the entire NFL — topped by a league-leading 37 field goals at 94.9 percent completion rate in 2020 — but injuries and waning consistency caught up with the Korean, who posted his worst conversion rate — still 73.5 percent — last season before being placed on IR with a hip problem. Although he appeared to have returned healthy and firing on all cylinders for 2025, training camp performances could not be replicated on game day and a missed 44-yard field goal that would have sent Atlanta into overtime of their Week 1 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers proved to be final straw.

Despite already having European League of Football standout Lenny Krieg on the practice squad, Romo was signed and elevated to the active roster for last weekend’s game against Minnesota, and went 5-for-5 in the Falcons’ surprise road win, earning himself a two-year deal to take over the starting role. Koo, meanwhile, leaves with exactly 700 points to his name and sits behind only Matt Bryant and Morten Andersen in Atlanta history. His career field goal success rate is 86.8 per cent.

“I want to thank the Falcons organisation for giving me an opportunity when no one else would six years ago,” Koo said via his Instagram feed. “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 y’all the best. I’m full of gratitude and excitement as I continue my journey in this league.”

Koo’s release will save the Falcons $4.25m towards the salary cap, according to OverTheCap.com, even if the team has to suck up around $1.25m in dead money this year and next.