The Atlanta Falcons' Week 9 loss to the New England Patriots inspired their second kicker change of the 2025 season. After initially adding Parker Romo to replace Younghoe Koo, the team has now signed Zane Gonzalez as its Plan C.
The Falcons wasted no time after losing to the Patriots. They worked out Gonzalez on Tuesday morning and immediately signed him to their active roster while subsequently waiving Romo, NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo reported.
After struggling all season, Romo did not blatantly miss a kick at the end of the game the way Koo did in Week 1. However, he did miss an extra point on the Falcons' final touchdown of the game that directly led to the 24-23 defeat. The loss dropped Atlanta to just 3-5 on the year and extended its losing streak to three.
Romo enjoyed a spectacular debut after replacing Koo, going 5-for-5 on field goals in the team's Week 2 win over the Minnesota Vikings. That would be where his success ended, as he went 0-for-2 in his following outing. As of Week 9, Romo is just 11-for-14 on field goals and 12-for-13 on extra points with the Falcons.
Between Romo and Koo, the Falcons have arguably had the worst kicking game in the NFL. The two have combined to hit just 76 percent of the team's field goal attempts. The disastrous hit rate comes after Koo made just 73.5 percent of his field goals in 2024, the worst mark in the league.
Zane Gonzalez to debut as Falcons' kicker in Week 10
The Falcons hope for more consistency from Gonzalez, who has hit 80 percent of his field goals throughout a six-year career. The Arizona State alum ended a two-year hiatus from the league in 2024, when he returned to appear in six games for the Washington Commanders, with whom he hit five of seven field goals and all 19 extra points.
Gonzalez re-signed with the team in the offseason, but he lost the kicker job to Matt Gay, whom the team signed in April. He has been a free agent since.
Gonzalez will immediately debut with the team in Week 10, when the Falcons travel to Berlin to face the Indianapolis Colts. Although born and raised in Texas, Gonzalez is an avid soccer fan who frequently travels to Europe to watch live games and occasionally train, according to Garafolo, making him somewhat in his element for his debut.
