It won't come as a surprise to Atlanta Falcons fans that their hated rival is going down the path of attempting to breathe life into a failed Falcons player. Kicker Younghoe Koo was brought into New Orleans on a tryout basis throughout rookie minicamp. The former Falcons kicker was noted for missing a game-tying field goal attempt against the Saints in the 2024 season, and was quickly jettisoned in 2025 as Atlanta made it clear they had zero trust in the once reliable Koo.
For the Saints, this is an amusing move that has history with the franchise often attempting to take Atlanta's franchise players when their careers are failing. Recent examples of this are corner Desmond Trufant and running back Devonta Freeman. The Saints appear to have a soft spot for failing Falcons players, and adding Koo is no different.
The kicker was once historically reliable, ranking among the league's all-time top five field goal percentage leaders going into the 2024 season. Two years later, and Koo is clearly no longer a viable starting option with Atlanta turning the page and New Orleans stepping in to continue their recent theme.
One would think that the franchise would learn from past attempts to salvage value that this isn't a wise path to take. However, this would assume the Saints' front office has the ability to learn from its mistakes or to put together a cohesive football team.
Falcons Players Continue to Land Second Chance with Hated Rival
This is the same franchise that had a generational talent in Drew Brees and managed to squeeze a lone Super Bowl appearance out of the legendary quarterback. This was followed up by years of denial about the team's standing, consistently doubling down on being in contending mode, only to constantly fall short of expectations.
A losing team taking on Atlanta's failures shouldn't come as a surprise and offers a bit of offseason amusement in what has been an underwhelming Falcons offseason. While Koo was always a consistent presence in Atlanta and well-liked, there is no part of fans wishing the kicker well as long as he remains anywhere close to the Saints orbit.
The complete distaste between the two teams and their fan bases is well-covered ground that isn't going to change anytime soon. New Orleans continuing to target former Atlanta players only furthers this and points to a franchise with no direction and zero hopes of contending for anything of note.
For Koo, it is sad to see the once reliable kicker reduced to playing for the hated rival on a tryout basis. It speaks to the volatility of the position and just how quickly things can change in a league only concerned with the next win.
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