
The Indianapolis Colts are going to have a new kicker in 2025 after making the unexpected decision to release Matt Gay on Thursday. The former Pro Bowl kicker is out in Indy just two years after signing a record-setting contract with the team.
Gay had been with the Colts since 2023 when he signed a four-year, $22.5 million deal, which was the largest contract that any kicker had ever been given in free agency at the time. Gay landed the record-setting deal after a 2022 season with the Los Angeles Rams where he hit 93.3% of his field goals, but he never came close to matching that number in Indianapolis.
The Colts decision to dump Gay was certainly unexpected, but if you look at the numbers, it’s easy to see why they decided to move on. During his two seasons in Indianapolis, he hit just 82.1% of his field goal attempts with his biggest struggles coming from long range. During the 2024 season, Gay was a perfect 28 of 28 from inside 50 yards, but from 50 or longer, he hit just 33.3% of his kicks (3 of 9). The 31-year-old was dealing with a groin injury just before the start of the season, which may have factored into his long-distance struggles.
During his two years in Indy, Gay hit just 50% of his field goals from 50 yards and longer (11 of 22), which was well below his career average of 73.9% that he put together in his four NFL seasons before signing with the Colts.
For a two-year period, Gay was one of the top kickers in the NFL. From 2021 to 2022, he hit 93.8% of his kicks while playing for the Rams, including 83.3% from beyond 50. During the team’s Super Bowl winning season in 2021, Gay was voted to his first and only Pro Bowl.
With Gay out, the Colts are now down to just one kicker on their roster in Spencer Shrader. The 25-year-old, who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent last year, played in at least one game with three different teams during the 2024 season (the Colts, Jets and Chiefs). Shrader will almost certainly have some competition once training camp rolls around, and it won’t be surprising if the Colts spend a late-round pick on a kicker in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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