When you’re a bad football team that struggles to score points, the last thing you need is a rookie kicker that you can’t trust.
For some reason, one that’s miffed fans since roster cut-down day, the New England Patriots made their bed with sixth-round rookie Andy Borregales. And based on a recent development in the NFC South, they could find themselves laying in it for this 2025 season, for better or worse.
The Atlanta Falcons signed journeyman kicker John Parker Romo to their practice squad this week. The move comes on the heels of Younghoe Koo’s brutal miss from 44 yards on a field goal attempt that would have forced overtime in Atlanta’s Week 1 loss to the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
After spending training camp with the Patriots this summer, Romo finds himself in a similar spot — serving as competition for a kicker whose team isn’t yet ready to move on from.
The Patriots are dangerously close to losing their top fallback option for rookie kicker Andy Borregales
Every Patriots fan was thinking the same thing when Borregales lined up for his first career field goal attempt in last week’s season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders. Frankly, the smeared eye black and jersey No. 36 was already an alarming sight; the missed attempt from 40 yards only made it worse.
The rookie rebounded with chip-shot makes from 35 and 44 yards, and he didn’t botch a game-altering situation like Koo’s miss in Atlanta. But the decision to let veteran Joey Slye — who was perfect on his four attempts for the Tennessee Titans on Sunday — walk in free agency and use a sixth-round draft pick on Borregales came with obvious risk. The result will be an uneasy feeling for fans (and probably everybody involved) whenever the rookie trots onto the field to attempt a big kick this season.
Time will tell if Romo would have been the better option. All we know is that the former XFL star outperformed Borregales throughout training camp, including a 57-yard bomb outdoors at Gillette Stadium in the preseason opener. It’s understandable that the Patriots would want to hold onto their rookie draft pick, at least to see how he looks in real games. But if the team was looking for Borregales to win the job outright, that didn’t happen.
It’s still possible for Romo to return to Foxboro if New England’s kicking situation goes south. The Falcons are merely busting Koo’s chops with the Romo signing, and as a member of Atlanta’s practice squad, the Patriots could still sign him to their active roster at any point.
The #Falcons have signed kicker Parker Romo to their practice squad, a source confirmed with ESPN. Romo, a Georgia native, was 11-of-12 on FGs last season in Minnesota.
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) September 9, 2025
This doesn't necessarily mean Younghoe Koo has lost his job, but Romo has been brought in to at least…
Romo was excellent in four games of spot duty for the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, making 11 of his 12 field goal attempts. He definitely looked the part of an NFL kicker with the Patriots this summer. We’ll see if he finally gets the shot he’s been coveting.
In the meantime, the Patriots will be riding the rollercoaster that comes with choosing a 22-year-old rookie kicker. Buckle up.