Colts released the veteran kicker after two years on Thursday
Former Los Angeles Rams kicker Matt Gay was a steady force during his three-year stint in Hollywood. Including the playoffs, Gay made 68-of-74 of his field goal attempts with the Rams, and secured a Pro Bowl nod in 2021. After L.A. failed to re-sign him, Gay signed with the Colts and didn’t have the same impact. His time in Indianapolis is over after two years.
The #Colts are releasing K Matt Gay, the team has announced.
After signing a record deal for a kicker in 2023, Gay never lived up to expectations, converting on just 82.1% of his FG tries in 2 seasons.
The team signed K Spencer Shrader to their roster on March 13.
— Peter Miller (@peteremiller) April 10, 2025
Indianapolis cutting the veteran kicker proved that the Rams were justified in letting him walk. The Colts signed Gay to the largest free agent contract for a kicker in NFL history and severely paid the price.
At first, it proved to be a worthy investment. Gay became the first kicker ever to hit four 50+ yard field goals in one game during a 22-19 upset win over the Ravens. The Colts were obviously in their honeymoon phase with Gay then. That game led Indianapolis Star insider Joel Erickson to compare him to Justin Tucker—um, yeah, an EXTREMELY problematic statement to make now—and concluded his piece with this:
“The kind of beast the Colts haven’t had since Vinatieri.
The kind of beast worth paying for.”
You sure about that? Gay was an absolute disaster from 50 yards out. After connecting on 12-of-15 attempts from 50+ yards in Los Angeles, he was only 11-of-22 with the Colts. Through 33 games in Indy, Gay made 64-of-78 field goals (82.1%). Yeah, that level of production wasn’t worth the $22.5 million coughed up to acquire him.
Of course, things haven’t exactly been great for L.A. after moving on. The Rams had Brett Maher and Lucas Havrisik in 2023, and the pair combined for 74.4% field goal percentage. Unsurprisingly, neither player lasted long as the team drafted Joshua Karty in the sixth round of last year’s draft.
Karty appears to be the Rams’ long-term guy, especially after he got hot down the stretch, en route to winning NFC Special Teams Player of the Month in December. Les Snead could’ve rewarded Gay for his performance, yet that would’ve been a massive overpay as the Colts discovered.
Sometimes, the best moves are the ones you don’t make.
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Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
