Former Buccaneers player makes NFL history overnight
Yea, the Buccaneers would probably approach things differently these days.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Matt Gay in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft and unfortunately, he was off the team a year later.
Nowadays, he's a Super Bowl winner and he made a Pro Bowl in 2021. And, he's receiving contracts that make him the highest-paid kicker in NFL history.
Per FOX Sports' Peter Schrager, the Indianapolis Colts and Gay agreed to terms to the biggest contract for a kicker in NFL history on Monday night. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero later clarified that it's a four-year deal worth $22.5 million and it's not just the biggest deal for a kicker, ever: it also includes the most money over a three-year span, ever, for a kicker.
To say Gay has rebounded since his career ended in Tampa Bay is putting it mildly. He's made at least 93% of his field goal attempts in each of the last two seasons and he's only missed two of his last 97 extra point attempts. Overall, he's made 92.5% of his field goals (74/80) since the Buccaneers waived him.
He made just 77.1% of his field goal attempts and missed five of 48 extra point attempts during his one year with the Buccaneers.
He's easily blossomed into one of the NFL's best kickers, if not the best. Gay is incredibly accurate inside the 40 and he has one of the strongest legs in the NFL, which is evidenced by his 12-of-15 mark from 50+ since 2020.
It's a well-deserved payday and proof that an NFL player's journey is never over until the final whistle.
