Oct 9, 2021; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies place kicker John Parker Romo (96) kicks the ball during the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports.
Greg Joseph is gone and probably isn’t coming back.
The Vikings kicker from the last three seasons vamoosed on Tuesday, as Joseph’s agent, Brett Tessler, tweeted Tuesday, “The Green Bay Packers are signing my client Greg Joseph who kicked for the Minnesota Vikings the past 3 seasons. Holds the NFL record for game-winners in a season (5), Vikings record for longest FG (61 yds), & led NFL in TB% in ’21. Had other interest but liked this opportunity.”
You read that right — Joseph is a Packer and will compete for the primary kicking job this summer with the incumbent Anders Carlson and former Viking Jack Podlesny.
And that clears the way for the man signed by the Vikings two weeks ago: Parker Romo.
Joseph was not prioritized for a reunion by the Vikings’ front office, probably because his field-goal-kicking percentage ranked near the bottom six of the NFL in back-to-back seasons (2022, 2023). So, the club opted for Romo, who recently became popular in the XFL. This is the 26-year-0ld’s football resume to date, though he’s never kicked in a regular season NFL game.
Romo attended three colleges — Central Kansas (2016), Tulsa (2018), and Virginia Tech (2019-2021) — and was a teammate of Christian Darrisaw at Virginia Tech. He was awarded All-XFL Team honors with the Brahmas in 2023 and also finished as that league’s field goal leader.
He has a massive leg, posting videos to social media of himself connecting from 70+ yards out.
Romo booted through 17 of 19 field goals in the XFL last year, with a long of 57 yards. Kyle Joudry of PurplePTSD, a sister site to VikingsTerritory, wrote about Romo on March 12, “Parker Romo is 26 and comes in at 5’11”, 188. He began his college career at Tulsa before moving over to Virginia Tech (overlapping with Christian Darrisaw). His final season arrived in 2021. He went 34/34 on his extra points and 18/22 on his field goals. Back in 2019, he even took some reps as a punter, launching 8 punts for 354 yards (44.3 average).”
Meanwhile, for context, Minnesota is always fond of summer kicking competitions. Romo is the only kicker on the Vikings’ roster at the moment, but with the draft 30 days away, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could scoop one from that event or scour the undrafted free-agent wire immediately after.
However, a handful of free-agent kickers were available in the last couple of weeks, and if Minnesota wasn’t interested in a proven veteran then, perhaps Romo has already been labeled “the guy” for 2024.
Romo will turn 27 in August.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.