The Falcons finally addressed one of the ugliest problems on their roster, and they did it with a veteran who has been money for years.
Atlanta’s kicking game has been a mess over the last two seasons. Younghoe Koo’s huge 2021 season and the strong two-year stretch that followed now feel like a distant memory. Injuries and poor production dragged the position down, leaving the Falcons stuck with a kicking operation that swung from shaky to flat-out miserable.
That’s why Nick Folk matters so much. The former Jet, now 41, arrives as the NFL’s most accurate kicker over the last three seasons, and his recent run has been easy to overlook outside of New York. Over the last six seasons, Folk has hit 93.4% of his field goals, a mark that would tie him for the best career average in league history.
What he does not bring is the booming leg some teams want now. Folk is not the guy for regular 60-plus yard attempts.
His value is in what he does from inside that range: he just keeps making kicks. That kind of stability is exactly what Atlanta has been missing.
The Falcons missed seven field goals and two extra points in 2025 alone. In 2024, they missed 12 field goals, the most in the league.
That adds up to 19 missed kicks in two seasons, while Folk has missed 16 total since 2019.
Atlanta signed him in March to a two-year, $9 million deal, and on paper it looks like a smart move for both sides. If Folk keeps doing what he has done for the past six years, the Falcons should be in much better shape.
The real question is how long that can last. Can Atlanta count on Folk beyond 2026 and 2027? He is 41, and the clock is always ticking for kickers, even the elite ones.
That does not mean the Falcons need to carry two kickers. It does mean they should keep looking.
Training camp and the preseason are the right time to test the waters and track down a possible successor before the position turns into a problem again. A little foresight now could save Atlanta from another kicking disaster later.
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Panthers Just Made A Telling Move In Their Thin Receiver Room
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Washington spent his first two pro seasons trying to carve out a role after Atlanta made him a sixth-round pick in 2024 out of Illinois, and he appeared in 15 games for the Falcons with seven catches for 108 yards and two starts. Now he gets another chance to stick, and the timing matters for a Panthers team that has had to shuffle its depth chart after losing Chris Brazzell and placing Dan Chisena on injured reserve. [Read more 🡒]