Falcons elevate former Vikings kicker to face his old team on SNF

Parker Romo will be Atlanta's kicker, in place of Younghoe Koo, against the Vikings.

Nov 24, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Vikings kicker John Parker Romo (96) watches his successful game winning field goal against the Chicago Bears during overtime at Soldier Field. | Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

A familiar face will be kicking for the Falcons on Sunday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Parker Romo, who filled in for Will Reichard as the Vikings' kicker for four games last year, has been elevated from the practice squad to Atlanta's active roster. After missing the potential game-tying field goal in Week 1, Younghoe Koo has been downgraded to out by the Falcons — for non-injury related reasons — and will not travel with the team.

Romo, 28, went undrafted out of Virginia Tech in 2022. After bouncing NFL offseason rosters and also playing a spring season in the XFL, he got his first chance to kick in the league when Reichard suffered a quad injury last November. Romo had been with the Vikings earlier in the offseason, so he was the easy choice to be their replacement. And he took advantage of the opportunity by making 11 of 12 field goals (and 7 of 8 extra points) he attempted over a 4-0 stretch.

When Reichard came off IR, Romo was waived and signed with the Patriots' practice squad. He was with New England until final roster cuts before the season. And this week, he wound up on Atlanta's practice squad as a possible Koo replacement. It's unclear if Koo is dealing with any off-the-field matters or if he's simply being demoted out of the role.

It'll be a couple former teammates, Reichard and Romo, as the kickers for this primetime showdown in Minneapolis between the Vikings and Falcons.

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