Detroit Lions place kicker John Parker Romo (24) watches practice during OTAs at Detroit Lions headquarters in Allen Park on Thursday, June 1, 2023. © Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK.
If you’ve been a Minnesota Vikings fan for a significant time, you understand just how much the kicking game has sunk the franchise.
From Gary Anderson to Daniel Carlson, there are storylines on a yearly basis. Will Reichard looked like a rookie ready to turn the page. Then he got hurt. Here begins the John Parker Romo show.
This offseason, the former XFL kicker was not happy with how the Minnesota Vikings handled things. He believed he would be given a legitimate opportunity to show what he could do. Then Kwesi Adofo-Mensah drafted Reichard in the sixth round, and Parker Romo’s fate was immediately sealed.
It’s good that there were no hard feelings from how Parker Romo was jettisoned. Obviously, he was disappointed at the time, but nothing he said was damaging enough to rule out a return with the Vikings. The former Virginia Tech kicker has never had an opportunity in a regular season game, but that is expected to change on Sunday.
Reichard is dealing with a legitimate quad strain that has since landed him on IR. He had been perfect coming into the game against the Indianapolis Colts. How much the injury impacted him on a pair of missed kicks may never be known, but the hope is that it won’t be an issue going forward. The Vikings will get him the rest he needs, and he can return with a clean bill of health as soon as he’s ready.
Parker Romo finds himself joining the team in something of a soft landing spot. Despite being just 4.5 point favorites on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars, it would be disappointing if Kevin O’Connell’s squad lets the opposition hang around on Sunday. Even with Trevor Lawrence under center, the Jaguars have been poor in 2024.
The Vikings should find the endzone early and often. Parker Romo can punch in a bunch of chip-shots extra points, and any field goal he needs to kick should come without ramifications.
Nothing that happens with the kicking game on Sunday or going forward will alter the Vikings’ plans for Reichard. Parker Romo does have an opportunity to secure a gig with another organization, though, and the better his performance, the more suitors he should expect to hear from.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.