Vikings Re-Sign a Familiar Face
The Minnesota Vikings have a bunch of players on IR, including promising rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy and standout left tackle Christian Darrisaw. Both have undergone season-ending knee surgery. A recent addition to short-term IR is rookie kicker Will Reichard, who suffered a quad injury. His replacement has been found.
Vikings Re-Sign a Familiar Face
John Parker Romo signed with the Vikings in March after the previous placekicker, Greg Joseph, was let go in free agency. He ultimately lost the job to Reichard but returned to the purple team.
Mike Garafolo reported on Tuesday: “The Vikings are signing free-agent K John Parker Romo, sources tell me and Tom Pelissero. A former undrafted free agent with the Saints, Romo was with Minnesota this offseason. Now set to make his NFL regular-season debut with the team.”
Romo possesses a massive leg but hasn’t had the chance to kick in an NFL game at age 27. Romo attended Central Arkansas, Tulsa, and Virginia Tech during his long collegiate career but went undrafted in 2022.
He then had a stint in training camp with the Saints and joined the XFL franchise San Antonio Brahmas for the 2023 campaign, hitting 17 of 19 field goals, including a (since broken) league-record 57-yarder. Romo was named to the All-XFL team and pursued his NFL career. The Detroit Lions signed him in May 2023, but he was released after training camp on August 29. A six-week stint on Chicago’s practice squad was followed by five months of free agency.
Once the Vikings selected Reichard in the sixth round of the draft, it was widely expected to be the rookie’s job. Romo didn’t get any opportunities in the preseason and was released early in training camp.
A curious side note: Romo announced his release before the news dropped, and he already expected a return. He wrote a farewell post on X: “Never know when your last snap is coming. 48 LH 15-20 MPH. Thank you Vikings. Might be back sooner than later … I will be available tomorrow at 4PM ET.”
Reichard has been nearly flawless in purple, hitting his first 14 field goal attempts before missing a pair because of his injury. He also nailed all 23 of his extra points.
The Vikings have a history of instability at the kicking position. At least for the next four contests, it will be Romo’s job as Reichard has hit IR. He hopes to be consistent enough to draw some attention from other teams. The league is always looking for reliable kickers.
Minnesota also had to replace long snapper Andrew DePaola, who sustained a hand injury in Sunday’s win. Garafolo also reported: “Vikings had to change two-thirds of their kicking operation this week due to injury. Former Lions and Bears long snapper Jake McQuaide is expected to continue his tour of the NFC North by signing with Minnesota.”
McQuaide, 36, has spent time with the Rams, Cowboys, Lions and Bears, playing in 190 NFL games.
The new operation with McQuaide, Romo, and holder Ryan Wright has only a few days to get acclimated.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt