The Atlanta Falcons weren’t terrible in the kicking game during the 2025 season, but the team struggled with stability, cycling through three kickers over the course of the year. With Kevin Stefanski taking over ahead of the 2026 season, Atlanta brought in veteran kicker Nick Folk in search of greater consistency on special teams. However, it’s safe to say that stability never truly arrived.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Falcons have released Folk following Sunday’s 34-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The decision came after Folk had a disappointing performance against Cincinnati. The 42-year-old went 1/2 in field goal attempts and missed a crucial field goal.

That missed attempt carried significant weight, considering Folk had made 107 consecutive field-goal attempts from inside 40 yards. Against the Bengals, however, he was left on a 38-yarder in the third quarter, as the Falcons lost the sixth matchup of the season. Following the game, Coach Stefanski addressed the missed field goal attempt and noted:

“I expect Nick to make his kicks. Nick expects to make his kicks. … He knows we’re counting on him.”

The Falcons signed Folk to a two-year, $9 million contract ahead of the 2026 season after an unstable special teams performance last season. For broader context, the 2025 season marked the first time in franchise history that three different Falcons kickers each made at least one field goal in the same season: Younghoe Koo, John Parker Romo, and Zane Gonzalez.

Koo opened the season as the starter but missed a 44-yard field goal in the final seconds of the Week 1 loss to Tampa Bay, which would have tied the game and sent it to overtime. Atlanta then moved on to Romo, who initially looked excellent, going 5-for-5 on field goals in his debut. But Romo later missed a game-tying extra point against New England in Week 9, and the Falcons again made a change, bringing in Gonzalez.

Gonzalez ultimately stabilized the position. He went 19-for-22 (86.4%) on field goals over nine games and made all eight of his attempts from 40-49 yards. Collectively, the three went 32-for-39, or about 82.1%, not disastrous on the surface, but the constant changes and missed kicks in serious situations created a significant reliability problem.

That prompted the Falcons to sign Nick Folk, who was entering the 2026 season after recording the best performance in the last three seasons. In the last three seasons with the New York Jets and the Tennessee Titans, Folk converted at least 95% of his attempts and led the league in field goal percentage.

Through the first nine games this season, however, things went downhill for the 42-year-old. So far, he made just 13 of 18 attempts, or a 72.2% field goal percentage. He missed a pair of field goals in Week, followed by a 53-yarder in Week 2. He missed another field goal against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and, most recently, against the Bengals.

However, the Falcons have now signed another kicker after parting ways with Nick Folk. Atlanta brought Jake Moody. A former third-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2023 NFL Draft, Moody spent time with multiple teams, including the Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders, and the Baltimore Ravens before joining the Falcons.

Across four seasons, he has converted 78.3% of field goal attempts and is now expected to bring stability to the Falcons’ special teams. With Folk now gone and Moody taking over, the Falcons are once again hoping they have finally found a reliable answer at kicker. After cycling through multiple options in 2025 and seeing Folk struggle in 2026, Atlanta’s search for stability on special teams continues.