LA Rams K Matt Gay stays hot in bitter cold, but will he stay for 2023? – Ramblin’ Fan

The LA Rams were not going to win on Monday Night Football. Well, not by the lone missed extra point that came off the foot of Rams placekicker Matt Gay. But that would be the lone blemish for the young kicker. After all, he didn’t exactly have the benefit of the elements in the bitter cold nighttime air at Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Lambeau Field is a site where NFL legends are made. Well, unless you are a placekicker. If your living is kicking the football through the posts to put points on the board for your team, prepare to be humbled. Cold temperatures make the football less pliable and as a result, long booming field goals are next to impossible to make,  unless you are Matt Gay, that is:

K @MGtweetymonster kicked a 55-yard field goal in the second quarter. This was the 3rd made field goal in NFL History at Lambeau Field of 50+ yards when it has been colder than 25 degrees. Gay now has five field goals this season from 50+ yards. #LARvGB pic.twitter.com/NGdfh9w40F

— Los Angeles Rams PR (@TheLARamsPR) December 20, 2022

In the best of conditions, kicking a 50+ yard field goal is tough work. But in sub-freezing temperatures, it’s like trying to kick a shot put or cannonball through the uprights. The football is much harder, which not only makes it that much more difficult to launch into the air for any measurable distance, but the ability to steer the football with the right trajectory is that much more difficult.

Placekicker Matt Gay is on a one-year contract that expires at the end of this season. While the LA Rams have plenty of needs, extending Matt Gay should definitely be among them. He is earning $2.5 million for this season, and Spotrac.com estimates his annual worth at double that, estimating $5.1 million per year for the veteran placekicker.

Will the Rams extend him?  If he signs elsewhere at his estimated value, the Rams could be awarded a sixth-round 2024 NFL Draft pick. Is that worth losing the reliability of one of the most dependable field goal kickers in the NFL? Stay tuned . . .