Top 5 Kickers in Atlanta Falcons History

The Atlanta Falcons have a surprisingly rich history at kicker. For a franchise that often feels cursed, finding a reliable kicker is one of the few things it has consistently managed to do. Whether it was the Matt Bryant era, which coincided with Matt Ryan’s stint in Atlanta, or the current tenure of Younghoe Koo, Atlanta has long enjoyed a certain stability at the position.

For a franchise that is often unable to find a pass rusher or a starting quarterback, at least the kicking game is rarely on the list of problems. With that in mind, being listed as the greatest kicker in Atlanta history is no small feat.

Before we dive in, let’s look at what determines the rankings.

While Atlanta has had scorers on its roster who have had sustained success elsewhere, we don’t consider that as much as sustained success in Atlanta. Yes, if you’re among Atlanta’s top 10 scorers of all time, other accolades will be considered.

However, the most important piece of the puzzle is longevity and success as an Atlanta kicker. After that, we’ll look at career accomplishments elsewhere, career kicking percentage, and your position on the NFL’s all-time leading kickers list. We’re looking at the big picture, not singling out late career or tough times, but longevity and the totality of your time in Atlanta and the league.

The race for the top three spots will be tight, as Atlanta has had three of the best kickers in the league. And we’ll start with a kicker who helped define the Michael Vick era.

5. Jake Feely

Jake Feely was Atlanta’s kicker from 2001-04. The former Falcon ranks just inside the list as Atlanta’s fifth all-time leading scorer with 436 career points. He didn’t have elite range but was incredibly consistent and gave Atlanta stability at the position.

Additionally, it’s important to remember how much this position has evolved. Today’s technology and training provide benefits that exceed the capabilities of previous generations. This should be taken into account when looking at a team’s history in this position.

Feely spent 14 years in the league, scoring 1,451 career points. That ranks 30th in league history and is more than enough to earn him the fifth spot on our all-time list.

4. Norm Johnson

Norm Johnson comes in just above Jake Feely in terms of career accomplishments.

Both kickers had comparable stretches in Atlanta, but Johnson was far more gifted in other situations. He’s the 17th-leading kicker in NFL history, a testament to his longevity in a much more physical era of NFL history. Even for a low-contact position, it’s an impressive feat to be a starter from 1982 to 1999.

Johnson played for Atlanta from 1991-94 and ranks sixth among Atlanta’s all-time leading scorers. He also had some playoff performances. While Johnson’s percentage may not be on par with today’s top scorers, it’s important to note how much the league has changed.

In addition to his incredible longevity, changes to allowed contacts and the training and advancement of placekickers give Johnson’s career ranking a boost.

3. Younghoe Koo

Atlanta’s current starter is easily the third-best kicker in Atlanta history. Since the Falcons’ infamous Super Bowl collapse, there has been instability at nearly every level. But Younghoe Koo took over the kicking duties in 2019 and provided much-needed stability at the position.

The striker is already the third-leading scorer in Atlanta history and ranks fourth in league history in field goal percentage. Koo has displayed an incredible ability to score, consistently proving that no moment is too big for the man who has been Atlanta’s best weapon over the last half-decade.

Despite being ranked in the top five in career field goal percentage and being a top three goal scorer, Koo has no argument to go higher than third. He doesn’t have the elite range of the scorers ranked ahead of him and doesn’t have the longevity yet.

Maybe in two or three years, the conversation will change. For now, though, Koo is clearly the third-leading scorer in Atlanta history.

2. Matt Bryant

Putting Matt Bryant in second place may not be a popular decision, but it’s the right one. His career has been tied to many of the franchise’s defining moments. The former Falcons player is the team’s all-time leading scorer, and it’s not a close call.

Bryant had elite range and a proven playoff presence. He kicked for Atlanta from 2009 to 2019, spanning the best seasons of the Matt Ryan era. He ranks 20th in NFL history in field goal percentage and 16th in NFL history in scoring.

If there is one lasting memory of Bryant among Atlanta Falcons fans, it is his quiet predictability — the best possible description one can have of a player who provided a decade of stability. Bryant’s range is missing, and it’s something Atlanta has lacked since parting ways with the veteran in 2019.

1. Morten Andersen

Putting someone ahead of Matt Bryant might be an unpopular decision among Atlanta fans. However, it is the only possible decision considering their respective careers and accomplishments.

Yes, Bryant has the edge in terms of stats over the Atlanta Falcons. However, Andersen’s length of time kicking and career points scored are the deciding factors here, as well as the fact that Andersen is now a Hall of Famer and deserves great respect. He is the second-leading scorer in NFL history and showed incredible longevity while kicking from 1982 to 2007.

Andersen played in a high-level contact league for 25 years, an incredible feat that earned him a Hall of Fame induction. If we are objectively devoid of emotion about the greatest kicker in Atlanta history, there is no doubt that Morten Andersen is the only answer.