Who is the Falcons kicker? Why Atlanta native Parker Romo is filling in for Younghoe Koo

As longtime specialist Younghoe Koo's Atlanta Falcons future hangs in the balance, the franchise has called upon a replacement to step in as kicker.

Ahead of Week 2 of the NFL season, Atlanta brought in Parker Romo, a 28-year-old working to cement himself as one of the league's 32 kickers. He joins the Falcons weeks after losing the New England Patriots' kicking competition at training camp.

After initially signing with Atlanta's practice squad, Romo was elevated to the gameday roster ahead of Week 2. Romo has appeared in four NFL games in his professional career, which also includes a season sharpening the tools in the XFL.

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Here is more to know about Romo's journey to the Falcons.

Who is the Falcons Kicker?

The Falcons signed Romo to the practice squad on Sept. 9, 2025, and elevated him before facing the Minnesota Vikings on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 2. The decision came days after Koo missed a potential game-tying field goal late in Week 1, saying conversations around his accuracy were happening too often.

Enter Romo, who had just four NFL appearances to his name before 2025, each of which came while he was a member of the Vikings. He went undrafted in 2022 and has been a member of several NFL franchises, either as a training camp invite or a member of the practice squad.

Romo is from Peachtree City, Ga., which is located in the Atlanta metropolitan area. He starred at Peachtree's McIntosh High School before playing collegiately at Central Arkansas and Tulsa and finishing his college career at Virginia Tech.

In earlier stages of his career, he went by John Parker Romo, but in 2024, he shared that he preferred to go by Parker.

During his first NFL stint, Romo was almost perfect, connecting on 11 of 12 field goal attempts and seven of his eight extra point attempts.

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How many NFL teams has Parker Romo played for?

Romo has only played for one NFL team, but he has been a member of six different franchises, including the Falcons.

He attended training camp with the New Orleans Saints in 2022 and the Detroit Lions in 2023. He has also been a practice squad member of the Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, and Patriots.

Romo's NFL debut came in Week 10 of the 2024 season, the first of four consecutive appearances.

Parker Romo NFL stats

Romo connected on 11 of his first 12 (91.7%) field goal attempts, including a career-long 55-yarder. He is 7-of-8 (87.5%) on extra-point attempts in NFL regular-season games before his Falcons debut.

Is Parker Romo related to Tony Romo?

No, Parker Romo is not related to Tony Romo.

While there is no known relation between Tony, a Wisconsin native, and Parker, a Georgia native, Tony did joke about Parker during the 2024 season, calling him "my favorite player."