Quick Facts
Biography
John Parker Romo (born August 24, 1997) is an American football placekicker for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Central Arkansas, Tulsa, and Virginia Tech. He has also played for the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL, where he was selected to the All-XFL team following the 2023 XFL season. He is also the all time leader of field goals in the XFL.
College career
Central Arkansas
As a true freshman, Romo served mostly as a kickoff specialist for Central Arkansas; He finished the season with 2,556 yards on 44 kickoffs, with 7 touchbacks in 8 games played, averaging 58.1 yards per kickoff. He did not make his only field goal attempt.
Tulsa
Romo spent his sophomore season at Tulsa after transferring from Central Arkansas between semesters. He was a walk-on player for Tulsa, where he again handled mostly kickoff duties for the first half of the season. He handled most kicking duties during the second half of the season.
Romo finished the season with 3,602 yards on 59 kickoffs, with 28 touchbacks in 12 games played, averaging 61.1 yards per kickoff. He made 2 of his 5 field goals and had 1 blocked attempt. He fared betted with extra point's and finished the season with 17 extra points made on 18 attempts.
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+1⁄8 in (1.81 m) | 176 lb (80 kg) | 29+3⁄8 in (0.75 m) | 8+3⁄8 in (0.21 m) | |||||||||
| All values from Pro Day | ||||||||||||
New Orleans Saints
Following the conclusion of the 2022 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints signed Romo as an undrafted free agent out of Virginia Tech on May 16, 2022. He was cut on August 15, 2022, and was re-signed four days later on August 19.
San Antonio Brahmas
Romo was signed by the San Antonio Brahmas for the 2023 XFL season. He played all 10 of the Brahmas games and finished the season with 17 field goals made out of 19 attempted for 51 total points. He was named to the 2023 All-XFL team on May 8. Romo held the XFL record for the longest field goal, before Donny Hageman broke his 57 yard field goal with a 59 yarder against the Houston Roughnecks. He was released from his contract on May 15, 2023.
Detroit Lions
On May 15, 2023, Romo signed with the Detroit Lions following a successful tryout. He was waived on August 29, 2023.
Chicago Bears
On August 31, 2023, Romo was signed to the Chicago Bears practice squad. He was released on October 10, 2023.
Minnesota Vikings
On March 12, 2024, Romo signed with the Minnesota Vikings.
Personal life
Born in Peachtree City, Georgia, Romo is of Mexican descent.