Beloved Ex-Viking Just Got a Sweet Promotion with Patriots
Do you recall the man who kept the Minnesota Vikings’ kicking game afloat during the middle of the 2024 regular season?
Beloved Ex-Viking Just Got a Sweet Promotion with Patriots
He’s Parker Romo, a kicker who now exists in Vikings folklore because he was so dependable for four games — out of nowhere — last season.
After current specialist Will Reichard returned from injury last year, Minnesota had no choice but to cut Romo loose, and he promptly landed with the New England Patriots.
And thanks to a transaction by the Tennessee Titans on Monday, Romo is in line for a sweet promotion.
Joey Slye Formally Out of the Way
NFL Network‘s Ian Rapoport tweeted Monday, “The Titans are adding a kicker, as they are signing former Patriots and Commanders kicker Joey Slye, per agent Glenn Schwartzman of Shark Sports Management.”
The Titans employed kicker Nick Folk last year, but he evidently was not a priority to re-sign. Folk remains a free agent and has recently implied he has no plans to retire.
It’s just that the Slye addition all but rules Folk out of the Titans’ offseason plans unless the franchise prefers an eventual summer kicking competition.
Folk told The Tennessean in January, “I’d love to keep playing. I feel like I’m still kicking pretty well, and I’m enjoying it. People ask all the time about retirement, and I tell them, ‘It’s one game at a time for me. That’s how I really think about it. Just play one more game and see how many you can stack on top of each other.”
“I really don’t think much in the future.”
Parker Romo with the Vikings
In Minnesota, Romo served as the Vikings’ primary kicker from Week 10 to 13 after the usual specialist, Will Reichard, hit injured reserve with a quad ailment. He delivered every step of the way, acting as the only scoring source in a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and nailing a game-winning field goal at Chicago in Week 12.
The Vikings cut Romo loose in December when Reichard was activated to the active roster following his quad injury recovery. The Patriots pounced.
From here on out, Vikings fans will always recall Romo’s dependability. Ordinarily, a kicker holding down the fort for an NFL team is “no big deal.” However, Minnesota has been notoriously snakebitten by kicker tomfoolery in the last three decades, so when Romo showed up and drilled kicks with ease, he pleasantly surprised onlookers.
The team’s loyalists already enjoy tracking former Vikings players — Romo’s trajectory in New England will be supersized with intrigue. Think of it this way: outside of the Ryan Longwell era, fans have chanted for a reliable kicker since the late 1990s. Minnesota had two, and NFL teams rarely employ multiple kickers.
Vikings special teams coordinator Matt Daniels said about Romo right before he signed with the Patriots, “He maximized this opportunity, and surely enough, it is going to propel his career forward. I truly know that. The way this kicker thing is going this year, surely enough, if he’s not with us, he’s gonna be somewhere, for sure. Hopefully he’s not playing against us.”
Romo Must Outlast the Draft and Undrafted FA
The offseason is still young, and in theory, New England could add a rookie kicker in the next four to six weeks.
These men highlight the rookie kicking class:
- Ben Sauls (Pittsburgh)
- Tyler Loop (Arizona)
- Andres Borregales (Miami)
- Ryan Fitzgerald (Florida State)
- Dominic Zvada (Michigan)
Because Romo doesn’t have prolonged experience — his stint with Minnesota was really it per regular season playing time — the Patriots could ink Sauls, for example, and shove him into a battle for the primary kicking job in 2025.
And from afar, Vikings fans will would hope Romo prevailed.
Oodles of Former Vikings in New England
The Patriots employ a litany of former Vikings personnel.
Through two weeks of free agency, these ex-purple players live on New England’s roster:
- Marcus Epps (S)
- Parker Romo (K)
- Jaquelin Roy (DT)
- Khyiris Tonga (DT)
- Joshua Dobbs (QB)
- Christian Elliss (LB)
- Vederian Lowe (OT)
- Garrett Bradbury (C)
- Tyrese Robinson (OG)
New England also features Drake Maye at quarterback, a man heavily linked to Minnesota during its 2024 search for a rookie quarterback.
If you need a satellite AFC team, the Patriots are a decent option in 2025 and beyond.
Romo will turn 28 this summer.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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