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Matt Gay brought stability and consistency to special teams | Free Agent Spotlight
In the fifth of a series spotlighting a handful of Rams players scheduled to become free agents in 2023, theRams.com examines kicker Matt Gay.
www.therams.com
Matt Gay brought stability and consistency to special teams | Free Agent Spotlight
In 2020, Matt Gay had been on the Colts practice squad after being unexpectedly cut by the Buccaneers – the team that drafted him in 2019 – and the Rams were looking for an answer at kicker.When Los Angeles claimed him, it would find the consistent and reliable player they had been searching for since moving on from longtime starter Greg Zuerlein.
Across two and a half seasons with the Rams, Gay made 74 of 80 field goal attempts – including 12 of 15 from at least 50 yards and 17 of 19 from at least 40 yards – plus 95 of 97 extra point attempts. Now, after playing on his one-year restricted free agent tender signed last offseason, Gay is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins on March 15.
So, what are the options for Gay and the Rams?
Los Angeles could, of course, re-sign him. Last season alone, Gay made 28 of 30 field goal attempts, including a career-best 7 of 9 makes from 50-plus yards, and it marked the second-straight year his accuracy on such kicks was 93.3 percent or higher. Given how the aforementioned search for Zuerlein's replacement went during the preseason and regular season, the Rams are likely well aware of how difficult it can be to find that stability.
If Gay and the Rams go in different directions, the Rams would likely explore finding his replacement via free agency or the draft – or perhaps both, if they were to decide to hold another competition like they did in 2020.
