In the aftermath of Parker Romo's perfect performance on Sunday night, it was all but a given that Younghoe Koo's time in Atlanta has come to a close.
That proved to be the case as the Falcons released Koo on Friday, five days after he was inactive and not in attendance for Atlanta's 22-6 win over the host Minnesota Vikings.
In turn, Romo -- who coach Raheem Morris said earlier Friday morning will start this weekend against the Panthers -- inked a two-year deal to join the team's active roster, per NFL Network Insiders Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo. Atlanta announced signing Romo shortly after.
Koo's farewell concludes a somewhat stunning couple of weeks, but the rumblings for such a move began last year -- the worst of Koo's career.
Koo emerged victorious from a preseason battle for the kicking job with International Pathway Program player Lenny Krieg, but a missed game-tying 44-yard field goal attempt in a Week 1 23-20 loss to the Buccaneers will stand as his final kick for the Falcons.
In the first game of his seventh season with Atlanta, Koo was 2 of 3 on field goals, 2 of 2 on extra points. His longest attempt was the fateful 44-yarder.
Atlanta signed Romo to its practice squad two days after Koo's miss, signaling the team's most recent possibility of moving on. The Falcons then elevated Romo on ahead of their Week 2 showdown against the Vikings in favor of Koo, who did not travel to Minnesota with the team. Romo, the Vikes' kicker in four games last season, was perfect on five field goals and an extra point, effectively punching Koo's ticket out of town.
Romo takes over moving forward, but the Falcons also still have Krieg on the practice squad, a German-born booter they signed to a three-year deal that included a signing bonus and guaranteed base salary on March 27. Krieg drew major buzz during the NFL Scouting Combine in February.
Koo, 31, converted 25 of 34 fields goals last season, with his 73.5 field goal percentage his worst by 13 points since joining Atlanta in 2019.
The South Korea-born Koo began his career as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017, but struggled and was waived after four games.
Thanks to a solid showing in the now-defunct Alliance of American Football, Koo made his way back to the NFL with the Falcons. He rose to the ranks of the elite kickers in the game, particularly in 2020 when he became a Pro Bowler after leading the NFL with 37 made field goals, converting 94.9% of his attempts.
Koo was a constant for the Falcons before his 2024 travails. Though that time is done, it's likely Koo will catch on with another team in the NFL's never-ending kicker carousel.
