Previewing the Patriots kicker heading into his second season in New England.
The New England Patriots will have an old-fashioned kicker competition at their hands this summer. In the one corner, they have rookie sixth-round draft pick Andres Borregales; in the other, they have 2024 practice squad pickup Parker Romo. Let’s meet the veteran.
Hard facts
Name: John Parker Romo
Position: Placekicker
Jersey number: 37 (w)
Opening day age: 28 (8/24/1997)
Measurements: 5’11 1/8”, 190 lbs, 29 3/8” arm length, 8 3/8” hand size, N/A Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: New Orleans Saints (2022), Detroit Lions (2023), Chicago Bears (2023), Minnesota Vikings (2024), New England Patriots (2024-) | College: Central Arkansas (2016), Tulsa (2018), Virginia Tech (2019-21)
After playing high school football at McIntosh in Peachtree City, GA, Romo started his college career with one-year stints at Central Arkansas and Tulsa. Going just 2-for-6 on his combined field goal attempts, he entered his third stop, Virginia Tech, as a backup. He finally received his opportunity as a fifth-year senior in 2021 and went on to complete 18 of 22 field goals and all 34 of his point-after tries.
Despite finding late success in college, Romo went unselected in the 2022 NFL Draft. He joined the Saints but did not make it through training camp, spending his rookie regular season without a team. He eventually took his talents to the XFL where he went 17-for-19 as a member of the San Antonio Brahmas. A first-team All-XFL selection in 2023, he returned to the NFL as an offseason member of the Lions and short-time practice squadder with the Bears.
In 2024, he saw his first in-game action as a member of the Vikings; Parker played in four games as an injury replacement and completed 11 of his 12 field goal tries. He joined the Patriots via their practice squad later that same season.
Scouting report
Strengths: Romo is a fairly accurate kicker, who made a combined 86.8 percent of his field goal attempts between his stints at Virginia Tech as well as in San Antonio and Minnesota. In general, he offers some diverse experience stemming from a combined nine stops between the college and pro levels — experience with different coaching staffs, in different weather conditions, and under different playing rules. He also can perform on kickoffs and has done some punting in his past.
Weaknesses: Romo does not have the most consistent range or powerful leg, as evidenced by the fact that he has been asked to kick field goals of 50-plus yards just seven times in his career going back to his days at Central Arkansas. He also lacks size, which can become a factor as the last man on kickoff coverage. In addition, he was cut from four NFL teams already pointing at teams not being happy with his contributions or potential in some shape or form.
2024 review
Stats (Minnesota): 4 games (0 starts) | 43 special teams snaps (9.6%) | 12 field goal attempts, 11 field goals made (91.7%) | 8 extra point attempts, 7 extra points made (87.5%) | 23 kickoffs, 1,488 yards (64.7 gross yards/kickoff; 59.1 net yards/kickoff), 19 touchbacks, 4 returns, 128 return yards (32.0 yards/return) | 1 missed tackle (100%)
Stats (New England): 0 games
Season recap: Following his release from the Bears’ practice squad in October 2023, Parker had to wait five months before signing another NFL contract. He did so the following March, when the Vikings brought him in via a one-year pact. However, the supposed camp competition between him and rookie Will Reichard never materialized: Romo was released again in late July, and spent the next three months without a team.
In early November, after Reichard had been sent to injured reserve with a short-term oblique injury, the Vikings came calling again. Five days after re-joining the club, Romo made his regular season debut, going 4-for-4 in a 12-7 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Romo continued to provide quality kicking over the subsequent three games as well. While he did miss one field goal and extra point each, he played at a level that allowed Minnesota to go 4-0 in his four weeks on the team — including a three-point (30-27) win over Chicago and a one-point (23-22) victory over Arizona.
Along the way, he went a combined 11-for-12 (91.7%) on field goals and 7-for-8 (87.5) on extra points while also kicking off 23 times with 19 touchbacks (82.6%). Romo also made his lone attempt from over 50 yards, splitting the uprights from 55 away in said win versus the Cardinals.
Despite his success, Romo was handed his walking papers yet again after Reichard’s return from IR. This time, however, he only had to spend two days as a free agent: after going unclaimed through the waiver wire, New England signed him to its practice squad in early December. He never made it onto the game day roster or active team, but he did sign a futures contract with the Patriots after the season.
2025 preview
Position: Kicker | Ability: Depth special teamer | Contract: Signed through 2025
What will be his role? Romo has been a placekicker throughout his career, and nothing will change heading into 2025. He will do field goals, extra points and kickoffs (the latter of which under set of rules that closely resemble the XFL’s since last season).
What is his growth potential? Set to turn 28 in August, Romo appears to already be close to a finished product as a kicker. Whether that is indeed the case will be seen, but the level he showed with the Vikings in 2024 does suggest he has NFL potential.
Does he have positional versatility? Besides those three areas mentioned above, and potentially doing onside kicks, Romo also has some punting experience on his résumé. During his 2019 season at Virginia Tech, he punted the ball eight times for a gross gain of 44.2 yards with a net of 38.8.
What is his salary cap situation? As part of the futures deal he signed with the Patriots in January, Romo is carrying a $960,000 salary cap number that is not high enough to qualify him for Top 51 status. That number consists entirely of his non-guaranteed base salary, which means he currently has no impact on New England’s cap. In addition, Romo’s deal features a not likely to be earned roster bonus worth $25,000 that is triggered by him making the 53-man team (a bonus only two other Patriots — Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez — have in their respective pacts).
How safe is his roster spot? As previously noted, the Patriots will hold a competition for their kicker job this training camp: two men will enter the ring, and only one will be left standing. Based on five open offseason practices, it seems rookie Andres Borregales is the favorite over Romo heading into the battle.
Summary: Romo did have some encouraging moments as a Viking in 2024, and might very well have a future in the league as a result of what he has shown in a limited sample size. That being said, his outlook with the Patriots is uncertain, to say the least. Maybe the team will want to keep him around as a veteran presence on the practice squad, but unless Andres Borregales takes a step back over the summer, it seems unlikely Romo will be on the 53-man team come the start of the regular season.
What do you think about Parker Romo heading into the 2025 season? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.