Despite entering the 2025 campaign with very low outside expectations, the New Orleans Saints performed better than anyone expected in Kellen Moore's first season as head coach, finishing with a 6–11 record. If nothing else, the Saints' season, which saw several young players receive extensive playing time, set the table for a bright future.
Now, after an offseason of retooling, the Saints feel like they are ready to take a big leap forward as Tyler Shaw enters his second season of play. To get there, the Saints will continue to take risks on star talent.
Recently, the Saints invited one-time Pro Bowl kicker Youngho Koo to their upcoming rookie minicamp.
New Orleans had two different kickers last season, Charlie Smith and Blake Grupp. The latter really struggled, missing an NFL-high eight kicks during Week 12. The Saints released Group due to his accuracy issues, and he has since signed with the Indianapolis Colts.
Smith was more accurate, completing 75% of his field goal attempts, compared to Gruppe's 69.2%. Both made all their extra point attempts.
As for Koo, the 31-year-old kicker played one game with the Atlanta Falcons and five games with the New York Giants last season. Still, he only made 66.7% of his field goals and 92.9% of his extra points, which is why he's still looking for a contract at this stage in the offseason.
The Saints have Smith and undrafted rookie Mason Shipley on the roster. Koo hopes to work his way into the mix as well, and a strong showing in minicamp from May 8-10 will certainly help.
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