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The Rams could be kicking themselves over this one. After deciding not to give him the franchise tag last week, L.A. is losing kicker Matt Gay on a free agent contract with the Indianapolis Colts according to Peter Schrager.
Super Bowl champion and former Rams K Matt Gay intends to sign with the Indianapolis Colts. The $ numbers are expected to be the biggest for a kicker in NFL free agent history. @nflnetwork @gmfb @NFLonFOX
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) March 14, 2023
Signed in 2020 following a disastrous four-player audition to replace Greg Zuerlein, Gay has been one of the Rams’ most consistent and reliable members of the team over the last two and a half seasons. Gay was a Pro Bowl kicker in 2021 and he made 74-of-80 field goals over the past three years with the Rams.
L.A. now goes back to looking for a new kicker and they could also be in the market for a new punter and returner, as Riley Dixon and Brandon Powell are also unsigned free agents. The cost for tagging Gay would have only been $3 million more perhaps than a bad kicker to replace him, and the same cost to find a good kicker. The Rams may not have Super Bowl aspirations next season, but losing a 29-year-old kicker of his ability could have long-term implications.
Gay is getting one of the richest kicker contracts in history, a five-year, $22.5 million deal. Baltimore’s Justin Tucker signed a four-year, $24 million extension in August.
The #Colts gave Matt Gay a 5-year $22.5M deal, per @TomPelissero
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) March 14, 2023
The Colts paid a big price for Gay, a player who was released after his rookie season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to replace Chase McLaughlin as the kicker after McLaughlin went 30-of-36 on field goals. Where do the Rams turn now?
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