Vikings’ Next Opponent Signs Popular Former Viking
After a victory on Monday, the Minnesota Vikings will quickly turn the page and look forward to their Week 2 bout against the Atlanta Falcons. It’ll be a Sunday Night showdown against the 0-1 team, which is no longer led by Kirk Cousins.
Vikings’ Next Opponent Signs Popular Former Viking
Cousins was benched for Michael Penix Jr. after weeks of struggles last season and the Falcons have stuck with that decision. Another player who’s currently not at his best is kicker Younghoe Koo and the franchise is crafting contingency plans, it seems.
Do you remember Parker Romo, who saved Kevin O’Connell’s squad a couple of times last year? He was added to Atlanta’s practice squad on Tuesday.
Tom Pelissero reported, “The #Falcons are signing kicker Parker Romo to the practice squad, per source. After Younghoe Koo’s critical miss Sunday, Raheem Morris said they’d bring in competition. It’ll be Romo, who was 11-for-12 on field goals in four games last season with Minnesota.”
Romo earned the gig after beating out some competition, according to Pelissero: “Parker Romo was in camp with the #Patriots. He was one of several kickers who worked out this morning for #Falcons — a list that also included Zane Gonzalez, Michael Badgley and Ben Sauls.”
Last season, when Will Reichard suffered his quad injury, the Vikings had to turn to Parker Romo, who had spent time with the club in the summer to compete with the rookie. He lost that competition, but earned enough trust from the coaches to make his NFL debut during Reichard’s four-week IR stint.
He also earned Skol Nation’s trust when he nailed four field goals in his NFL debut, a game the Vikings ironically won by scoring only 12 points. The placekicker scored all 12 and became the unlikely hero that day.
Romo also drilled a game-winner against the Chicago Bears. Through the four contests, the kicker hit 11 of his 12 field goal attempts and seven of eight extra points. His longest kick was a 55-yarder, which is quite impressive.
The special-teamer stepped up and was excellent, which is why he’s a beloved player in the Twin Cities.
Vikings special teams coordinator Matt Daniels said about Romo at that time, “He maximized this opportunity, and surely enough, it is going to propel his career forward. I truly know that. The way this kicker thing is going this year, surely enough, if he’s not with us, he’s gonna be somewhere, for sure. Hopefully, he’s not playing against us.”
Despite kicking struggles around the league, he has not kicked since the Vikings waived him once Reichard returned. The Patriots were his next employer, first on the practice squad last season and also on the 90-man offseason roster. The 28-year-old didn’t survive roster cuts, though.
Matt Urben of Falcons Wire noted about the new kicker dynamic, “Koo missed a potential game-tying field goal in Sunday’s season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The former Pro Bowl kicker nearly missed another field goal in Week 1. While Koo was consistent for his first five seasons in Atlanta, he’s hit some rough patches over the last two seasons. There’s no guarantee Romo ever makes the team’s 53-man roster, but his signing will definitely put a little pressure on Koo to perform.”
Koo hit just 73.5% of his field goals in 2024, but it appears he will keep his job for at least one more week. He has not been released yet. Adding Romo is a warning.
The Vikings, meanwhile, just saw their young kicker Will Reichard bounce back from his own kicking struggles. He lost his automatic leg during the spell on IR. On Monday, Reichard hit a 59-yarder right down the middle, which was the second-longest kick in franchise history and tied for the longest in Soldier Field history.
Vikings fans should expect to face Koo on Sunday, and considering their 2024 track record, that might be a good thing.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.