Nick Folk was supposed to be the solution.
After a brutal year for the Atlanta Falcons at the kicker position, they sought out the highly respected veteran in the offseason to come in and provide solidity and consistency.
Folk, after all, missed one field goal the entire 2024 season.
Then he missed one field goal the entire 2025 season.
And then Folk missed two field goals on Sunday.
His Falcons debut was a 20-13 loss in Pittsburgh to the Steelers, and while those six points technically wouldn’t have made an entire difference, they clearly would’ve changed the game and potentially some approaches down the stretch.
And now, just a game into the new year, the Falcons have to reckon with the kicker position again.
Why Nick Folk Missed FGs
Folk explained specifically his 45-yard miss after the game like this:
“[That one] I just didn’t hit very well. I haven’t hit a kick like that in a very long time. I take full responsibility for today and just a bad day on my part.”
The quote came from ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, who used his own words to sum up the problem further: “The Falcons were a mess at kicker during the 2024 and 2025 seasons and were hoping Folk would be a savior.”
The Falcons didn’t waste time last season after Younghoe Koo missed a potential game-winning field goal in Week 1. They brought in a new leg for Week 2, then cut Koo after the second week of the season.
It’d be a bit surprising for that to happen so quickly with Folk, since he’s brand new and has such a spotless track record.
This is also a new decision-making group in Atlanta, which leaves a bit of mystery about how they might handle a kicker struggle.
But Folk has clearly put them in a tougher spot than they would’ve wanted to be in after just one week.
Free Agent Kickers
The first name that always comes up is Justin Tucker, but he still hasn’t signed anywhere after being let go by the Baltimore Ravens, and that seems likely to continue to be the case.
Graham Gano, most recently of the New York Giants is available.
Brandon McManus, who was replaced by a rookie with the Green Bay Packers, is out there.
So too is Matt Prater, who kicked for the Buffalo Bills most of last season while Tyler Bass sat out the year with an injury.
Those are all veterans, which sometimes can seem unexciting at kicker, but this Falcons team just signed Folk. Clearly, they just want someone reliable.
It seems like they’ll probably stick with Folk for now, but if they decide to move on at some point, they’ll likely be calling on another one of the league’s oldest kickers to try and solve the problem.
Falcons Might Already Need a New Kicker