The Atlanta Falcons dropped the opening game of the NFL season after Younghoe Koo missed on a 44-yard field goal attempt to send the game to overtime. And now, it seems like Koo's job is no longer safe ahead of the team's Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings.
Koo was once regarded as one of the best kickers in all of football early on in his tenure in Atlanta. But last season served as the worst of Koo's career to date aside from his rookie year where he received limited opportunities, making just 73.5 percent of his field goal attempts in 2024.
The former Pro Bowl kicker did make his other two field goal attempts on Sunday. But regardless, it seems as if Koo has lost the trust of Raheem Morris moving forward.
At the very least, Koo will have to earn the right to remain the kicker for the Falcons. On Monday, Morris spoke about Koo's inconsistent day, explaining how he plans to bring in other kicking options and have an open competition for the starting job.
"We've got to go out there and look," said Morris via Falcons senior editor Will McFadden. "We've got to bring in people to compete."
It may seem like a bit of a harsh response from Morris as a result of one missed kick. But kickers ultimately do decide games in the NFL. And if Koo is no longer someone the Falcons can rely on, it makes sense that they are at least making sure he is the right man for the job.
Maybe some competition for Koo will ultimately bring the best out of him and perhaps bring back the player who was among the best kickers in football. Or, perhaps the Falcons will find that they are better served to go in a different direction.
Either way, Raheem Morris sure seems dead set on not repeating the special teams mistakes in Week 1 throughout the 2025 season.
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This story was originally published September 8, 2025 at 2:02 PM.