Have the Falcons Found Their Kicker of the Future?

FLOWERY BRANCH – Atlanta Falcons kicker Zane Gonzalez has officially been named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. The honor is his second of the season, and it makes it all the more clear that he has earned the right to be the Falcons’ primary kicker moving forward.

Gonzalez connected on all four of his attempts in the Falcons’ Week 18 win over the New Orleans Saints. He hit from 38 yards on a pair of occasions, but also from 40 and 51 yards. In fact, his 40-yard field goal marked his eighth consecutive converted attempt between 40-49 yards, the fourth-longest streak for a Falcons kicker since 1985.

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For the season, Gonzalez has converted on 19-of-22 field goal attempts, including three game-winning kicks, with a long of 56 yards. Of his misses, two were blocked, and his lone miss came from 50+ yards.

After two years of issues at the position, it feels like the midseason addition has finally settled in as the Falcons’ kicker for 2026. He is their third starting kicker this season, but he feels like the one who will inevitably stick.

Longtime Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo started the season after beating out rookie signee Lenny Kreig during a short competition during training camp. His 2025 season was short-lived, and he did not make an appearance again after a crucial miss in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which cost them a chance to win.

The Falcons opted to bring in an unproven option after Koo, signing Parker Romo. Romo won the subsequent kicking competition with Koo during the week, but officially locked down the job with a five-field goal performance in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings.

Koo was released by Week 3, but so was Romo by Week 10 after he had some critical misses that cost the Falcons games.

Between Koo and Romo, the Falcons’ special teams unit converted just 76.5% of their attempts, which was (at the time) good for 26th in the NFL through the first nine weeks of the season. Gonzalez has since been a breath of fresh air at Flowery Branch.

Gonzalez says that he has rediscovered his confidence this season in Atlanta.

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“It's kind of like golfing, confidence plus you have to trust your swing,” he said after his Week 17 game-winning kick against the Los Angeles Rams. “But for me, all the guys around me, they do a good job of lifting me and keeping my confidence up. For me, it's just the faith they have in me gives me the confidence to go out there and do my job.”

Gonzalez signed a one-year deal worth $1.17 million when he joined the Falcons earlier this season, and his performance has put him in a position to earn a longer look. A short-term extension in the range of $2.25 million to $3 million, with $1 million guaranteed, would be in line with veteran kicker contracts around the league.

This deal would set up a potential competition with Lenny Krieg next summer, but ultimately, their midseason find may prove to be their best option moving forward.