Younghoe Koo, Falcons
Getty
Kicker Younghoe Koo of the Atlanta Falcons.
The Chicago Bears have already signed a second kicker in the wake of multiple mistakes by Cairo Santos in Week 1, which arguably cost the team a home victory against the Minnesota Vikings — though that may not be the end of the saga.
Chicago inked former San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody on Friday, September 12, after the Niners cut ties with him following a 1-for-3 performance on field goal tries in San Francisco’s opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
Despite his status as a third-round pick in 2023, the Bears could feasibly find a better option as Moody has struggled in previous seasons and doesn’t have a particularly strong leg, which was part of Santos’ problems against Minnesota on “Monday Night Football.”
One potential solution in the coming weeks could be Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo, who appears to have lost his job after a rocky Week 1.
Falcons ruled out kicker Younghoe Koo for Sunday night's matchup with the Minnesota Vikings and listed his reason for downgraded as not injury related.
Falcons also promoted kicker Parker Romo to kick Sunday night vs. the Vikings. pic.twitter.com/ZIt4Rbr068
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 13, 2025
“Falcons ruled out kicker Younghoe Koo for Sunday night’s matchup with the Minnesota Vikings and listed his reason for downgraded as not injury related,” Adam Schefter of ESPN reported via X on Saturday. “Falcons also promoted kicker Parker Romo to kick Sunday night vs. Vikings.”
Younghoe Koo Was Among Best Kickers in NFL for Multiyear Stretch Before Struggles Began Last Season
Younghoe Koo, Falcons
GettyKicker Younghoe Koo of the Atlanta Falcons.
Koo went undrafted in 2017, ultimately joining the Los Angeles Chargers for one year and playing in four games.
He did not play at all in 2018 but caught on with the Falcons the following season, where he has remained ever since. Koo entered his seventh year in Atlanta in 2025 as the starter, though the team has chosen to sideline him after he went 2-of-3 on field goal tries and 2-of-2 on extra point attempts in a 23-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1.
Koo earned Pro-Bowl honors in 2020 and connected on between 86.5 percent-95 percent of his field goals in every season from 2020-23. His success earned Koo a five-year deal worth $24.25 million total in March 2022, which keeps him under contract through 2026.
Atlanta’s decision Saturday to bench Koo likely stems from more than just his field goal miss against Tampa Bay, but stretches back to struggles he had in 2024. Koo missed nine field goals last year (25-of-34), despite a perfect mark on 26 extra points.
Younghoe Koo Superior Kicker to Jake Moody Based on Career Stats
Jake Moody 49ers kicker
GettyFormer San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody.
Koo still remains on the Falcons’ roster, so he isn’t available yet. That said, teams don’t typically carry two kickers for very long, which means if Romo delivers against the Vikings Sunday, Koo could be a free agent as early as next week.
At 31 years old and coming off the worst season of his career, Koo might not sound like the best option for a Bears team that needs more reliability at the position. However, compared to Moody, he is empirically the superior player.
Koo has connected on 85.8 percent of his 211 career field goal attempts and 96.2 percent of his 182 extra point tries. Meanwhile, Moody has proven true on just 74.2 percent of his 62 career field goal boots while connecting on 97.9 percent of his 96 extra points.
Koo is 29-of-40 on field goals of 50-plus yards, while Moody is 6-of-12 from that same distance. Koo is also 17 percentage points better on field goals from between 40-49 yards than Moody over the course of their respective NFL tenures.