Out of all of Rams free agents, Matt Gay should be top priority – msnNOW

January 23, 2023 News Editor

Heading into the off-season, the L.A. Rams have a bevy of unrestricted free agents that are slated to hit the open market, meaning the team will most likely have to make some tough decisions regarding some solid football players. The notable names that the are slated to hit free agency for the Rams are Matt Gay, Greg Gaines, A’Shawn Robinson, Taylor Rapp, David Edwards, David Long Jr., and Nick Scott.

Obviously, given the manner in which the Rams have structured their roster, a majority of those guys will not be re-signed and will play football for another team in the 2023-2024 NFL season. With that being said, L.A. will definitely need to try their hardest to keep a few of them around, with kicker Matt Gay being at the top of the list in my eyes.

Now, many will argue that player like Greg Gaines, A’Shawn Robinson, and Nick Scott should be higher up on the priority list, and rightfully so. Those three guys were vital during the Super Bowl title run, but the Rams may only be able to afford Nick Scott’s services going forward. With that being said, none of those guys have been as steady and consistent at Matt Gay has been at the kicker position, as Gay has put himself in the conversation of the best kickers in the entire NFL.

Gay was signed by the Rams back in 2020 following the nightmare that was Sam Sloman, providing a reliable kicking option for L.A. amidst a season where it looked like the kicking game could be among the worst in the NFL at the time. However, no one could have ever seen the productivity, accuracy, and reliability that Matt Gay would provide to the Rams during his tenure with the team coming.

Over Gay’s total of 41 regular season games with the team, Gay has gone 74/80 on his field goal attempts, as well as 17/23 from 50 yards or more. In his six postseason appearances, he is 12/14 on FG attempts and 15/15 on extra point attempts, proving to be clutch in some of the biggest moments of his career as a kicker.

One of the most underrated aspects of football is having a kicker that the team can rely on no matter what, a steady piece that everyone on the team knows will deliver. Matt Gay has proven to be that kicker for the Rams, making him vital to the team if they would like to return to consistent Super Bowl contention for the next 5+ years. If anyone has contact with the Rams front office, let them know I came up with this slogan for the off-season: “PAY MATT GAY”