Star kicker Koo Young-hoe has signed a lucrative deal to stay with the Atlanta Falcons in the U.S. National Football League.
The club confirmed on Wednesday it has re-signed Koo to a five-year, US$24.25-million deal, making him the second-highest-paid NFL kicker after the Baltimore Ravens' Justin Tucker.
His success did not come easily. Before joining the Falcons, he went through the painful experience of being released by his first two teams.
Koo was born in Seoul and moved to New Jersey at the age of 12 when his mother got a job in the U.S. His talent as a kicker emerged at an early age, when he demonstrated an ability to kick the ball out of the end zone very accurately. Going on to Georgia Southern University on a scholarship, he made a name for himself.
Koo signed with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017, realizing his dream of playing in the NFL, but was released after just four games for missing three out of six field goal attempts. In 2019 he signed with the New England Patriots but was cut once again. Later that year his fortunes picked up when he joined the Falcons and became one of the league's star kickers in just two seasons.
