Colts cut kicker Matt Gay two years after signing record $22.5 million contract

Colts cut kicker Matt Gay two years after signing record $22.5 million contract

Matt Gay is out of a job. 

The veteran kicker was released by the Colts just two years into a four-year deal after a shaky stretch in Indianapolis. 

The Colts signed Gay to a $22.5 million contract that would have kept him with the franchise through 2026 after he made the Pro Bowl for the Rams during their Super Bowl-winning 2023 season. 

The contract, at the time, was the largest free agency deal handed out to a kicker in NFL history. 

Indianapolis Colts kicker Matt Gay watches his 45-yard field goal during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jan. 5, 2025, in Indianapolis.
Indianapolis Colts kicker Matt Gay watches his 45-yard field goal during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jan. 5, 2025, in Indianapolis. AP

Gay converted 64 of 78 field goal attempts (82.1 percent) during his time with the Colts.

From 50 yards or long, Gay struggled even just further, hitting just half (11 of 22) of his attempts from that distance. 

Before coming to Indianapolis, Gay had hit 17 of 23 attempts from 50 yards or longer. 

In three years with the Rams, he had made 92.5 percent of his attempts. 

It’s not clear who will take Gay’s job, but the team signed Spencer Schrader, who spent time with the Colts, Jets and Chiefs last season and hit all five of his field goal attempts, to a deal last month. 

Gay had hernia surgery during the preseason, causing him to miss Week 1, although he wrote off any notion that injuries had to do with his struggles kicking. 

Indianapolis Colts place kicker Matt Gay (7) kicks a field goal during the first quarter of the Giants and Indianapolis Colts game in East Rutherford, N.J.
Indianapolis Colts place kicker Matt Gay (7) kicks a field goal during the first quarter of the Giants and Indianapolis Colts game in East Rutherford, N.J. Bill Kostroun/New York Post

“Kicking is very, very mental,” Gay said told reporters in the fall. “I’ve been very good from 50-plus in my career, and I have full confidence going forward that I can make these kicks. I’ve shown that I can do that.”

The Colts are also facing questions at the quarterback position this offseason.

In February, Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard said he wanted “real compeтιтion” for Anthony Richardson, who has been underwhelming through two seasons after being drafted No. 4 overall in 2023. 

The Colts signed former Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, who will presumably compete for the starting job, in March.

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