Graham Gano injury: New York Giants might need to turn to Younghoe Koo

Graham Gano, who already missed four games and most of a fifth this season with a groin injury, appears on the verge of being unavailable to be the placekicker for the New York Giants on Sunday against the Chicago Bears.

Gano on Thursday missed a second consecutive day of practice with a neck injury. Per Dan Duggan of The Athletic, Gano has a herniated disc in his neck.

Gano called the injury “unbeliavably frustrating.”

“Obviously all I want to do is play football,” Gano said. “I can’t control the injuries that have happened. It’s not like I’ve done something that is out of the ordinary, like outside the building to hurt myself or anything. So, I think that’s frustrating. I

“I hear everyone else’s frustration, media, fans. I mean, shoot, ever since sports betting started happening, I get people telling me to kill myself every week. You know, because I’ll hit a kick that loses them money. I’ll miss a kick, and it loses them money. It was the other day somebody told me to get cancer and die. I mean, that stuff’s part of it. But just playing this long, that stuff, you’re used to it by now. But with that being said, I see everyone’s frustration, and I’m frustrated too. I just want to play ball. I think that just constantly not being able to is tough. I’m doing everything I can to try and come back and play, and that’s my hope.

“I wish there was something I could do to not be hurt. At the end of the day, I want people to know I care. I want to play. I want to be the best I can. I want to make every kick. I want to be the best teammate I can. It’s something I care about. I wouldn’t be playing this long if I didn’t care about it.”

If Gano cannot kick on Sunday, the Giants would turn to veteran Younghoe Koo, who has spent most of the season on the team’s practice squad.

Koo said he feels “very ready” if he gets the opportunity.

“Definitely want to get on the field and just show what I can do,” Koo said.

Head coach Brian Daboll said Gano reported the neck issue on Monday.

When Gano, 38, was injured in the Week 3 game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Giants signed Koo to their practice squad.

They chose second-year placekicker Jude McAtamney, who had one game of NFL experience in 2024, over Koo as Gano’s replacement while the 38-year-old was on injured reserve.

McAtamney missed three extra points in the final two games before Gano returned to action two games ago against the Philadelphia Eagles. McAtamney is back on the Giants practice Koo.

In eight NFL seasons, including six full years with the Atlanta Falcons, the 31-year-old Koo has made 85.8% of his field goal attempts and 96.2% of his extra points.

Graham Gano injury: New York Giants might need to turn to Younghoe Koo

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