Falcons Sign International Kicker to 3-Year Deal

The Atlanta Falcons have added competition for kicker Younghoe Koo -- and they dipped into the international market to do so.

Atlanta signed German-born kicker Lenny Krieg to a three-year contract with a signing bonus and a base-salary guarantee, NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo reported Thursday.

Garafolo said Krieg "wowed" NFL teams at the NFL combine and International Player Pathway program's pro day, which took place Wednesday. Krieg had several visits lined up, prompting Atlanta to give him a strong contract offer.

The 6-foot-1, 211-pound Krieg spent the past two years kicking for the Stuttgart Surge of the European League of Football. In 2022, he kicked for the Berlin Adler.

Krieg, who turns 23 in August, had a brilliant performance at the NFL combine, where kickers attempt field goals from 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 and 55 yards on both hashes. Krieg was a perfect 14-for-14 kicking, the only participant who didn't miss.

Atlanta's addition of Krieg fulfills an end-of-season promise from Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot, who said Jan. 9 he wanted to bring in competition at every position -- an answer he gave in response to a question about Koo.

The 30-year-old Koo went only 25 for 34 on field goals and was tied for the league lead in misses before being placed on injured reserve with a right hip injury after Week 15.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris acknowledged Atlanta -- between Koo and replacement Riley Patterson, who was 4 of 7 across three games -- missed too many kicks last season.

But the Falcons still expressed belief in Koo.

"He's going to work hard to get himself back to the standard that he's been at for the majority of his career," Fontenot said. "And us as a staff, we have to make sure, No. 1, we're supporting him."

Atlanta also wanted to bring in competition for Koo. It did with Krieg -- but how open is the job? That much remains to be seen.