Rams lose Matt Gay to free agent contract with Colts

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.

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 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?