Falcons make $9 million special teams move amid Nick Folk signing

The Atlanta Falcons had a lot of issues last season. Their franchise quarterback in Michael Penix Jr was hurt a lot last season, and their offense was incredibly inconsistent. That being said, one of their bigger issues that may have gone under the radar is their struggles at kicker.

Younghoe Koo started the year for the Falcons as their starting kicker, but the veteran kicker lost his touch to start the year. After multiple missed kicks, Koo was benched and replaced by Parker Romo. Romo had a great start to the year, but proceeded to struggle after a few games. Atlanta signed Zane Gonzales after a particularly bad game from Romo.

To address their needs at kicker, the Falcons signed ex-Jets kicker Nick Folk to fill in. The kicker position is not the only special teams position that Atlanta is revamping this offseason, signing punter Jake Bailey to a three-year, $9 million deal, per Marc Raimondi.

Compared to their kicking, the Falcons’ punting in 2025 was much better. Punter Bradley Pinion led the NFL in punts downed behind the 20-yard line with 34 (more than 50% of his punt attempts). That being said, he was also below average in net yards per punt. Still, Pinion’s precise punting gave the Falcons better field position for the most part.

The Falcons have made quiet but impactful moves this offseason. Aside from signing Folk (96.6% accuracy on field goals last season, led all kickers in made field goal percentage), Atlanta’s other major move was signing recently released quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa will at least have the chance to start the season with Michael Penix Jr still sidelined with an injury.

The Falcons finished the season with an 8-9 record, which doesn’t accurately reflect their struggles in the middle of the season. Atlanta was eliminated from playoff contention relatively early in the year, but a hot stretch after they were mathematically eliminated gave them this record. Their weapons on both sides of the ball give them a chance to contend in the NFC South, but their quarterback position is a big question mark.

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