Last Updated on September 29, 2023 by Ed Nason
Ed Nason shares this update on Indianapolis’ third game of the 2023 football season. Stay tuned for weekly recaps!
With the Colts winning last week’s game in overtime by a field goal, let’s talk NFL kickers. Let’s be honest Colts Kicker Matt Gay is the main reason they won the game 22 to 21 over the Ravens in Overtime.
Oddly enough the highest paid kicker in the NFL is Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens averaging 6 million dollars a year. He signed a 4-year extension in 2023 for 24 million dollars and will take him to 2028.
Colts Matt Gay is second on the list of highest paid NFL kickers who just signed a 4 year 22.5-million-dollar contract. Gay was drafted by the Buccaneers in the 5th round of the 2019 draft. After a couple misses and a blocked extra point, the Buccaneers waived (released) him (Sept 5th, 2020) & ten days later (Sept 15th, 2020) the Colts 1st signed him Sept 15th, 2020.
The Colts decided to go with a promising kicker out of University of Georgia Rodrigo Blankenship and the Colts later waived Gay and the next day the Colts signed him to the practice squad.
In that same year (2020) Gay was signed by the Los Angeles Rams and spent 3 years with the Rams. Gay was also a part of the Rams Super Bowl win in the 2021 season (Super Bowl LVI). Gay was not only a part of the LA Super Bowl win, but he was one of the main reasons they won.
On March 17th, 2023, Gay signed what was the NFL’s largest free agent deal for a kicker and quickly is paying dividends for the Colts. Just 3 games into the season Gay hit a record 4 field goals over 50 yards and not only won the game in overtime but also earned his 1st AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. Gay not only made every one of his field goals this year, but he also made every one of his extra points.
The Colts have a deep history of paying kickers well and expecting results from Mike Vanderigt 13 Seasons with the Colts and having a field goal percentage of 87.5% and breaking the 2 million dollar a year paycheck. To Vanderigt’s replacement Adam Vinatieri was with the Colts for 14 seasons & earned over 39 million & field goal percentage is over 85%.
With Matt Gay being only 29 years old I would think we might see him for 10 plus years. One thing Vinatieri & Vanderigt has shown us is if you take care of your body and mind you can be a kicker into your 40’s.
Let’s hope Matt Gay does not get nervous playing against his old team this Sunday as the (2-1) Colts take on the (1-2) LA Rams at a 1pm kickoff at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Game will be televised on FOX with a much better cast covering the game. Kenny Albert is doing the Play-by-Play, Jonathan Vilma as Color Analyst & Shannon Spake the sideline reporter.
If radio is more your thing 93.5 FM out of Lafayette might be your best bet to listen to Matt Taylor doing the play by Play & former Coach of the Colts Rick Venturi doing Color Analyst. As always GO Colts!!