The NFL's regular season is over, which for most teams, means it's time to start figuring out plans for the offseason.



NFL free agency is a huge part of the process, and along with the NFL Draft, it has everyone preparing for what should be a very active couple of months.

We've officially come up with our own contract projections for the NFL's top free agents that include context behind each player's 2023 season, the likelihood of a franchise tag, the projection itself, and the first-year cap hit for a team that's “all-in” and is needing to reduce that first-year hit in order to maximize their cap dollars.

So, without further ado, let's check out the projection for Kansas City Chiefs linebacker, Willie Gay.

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Willie Gay 2024 Contract Projection

Willie Gay is one of the two Chiefs linebackers to hit free agency, and although he started significantly more games than Drue Tranquill, he’s likely to have a smaller market this offseason.

Gay had a down year by his standards, posting his lowest PFF coverage grade (41.2) and allowing the highest NFL passer rating against since joining the league (101.6). His 13 total pressures won’t entice teams to open the coffers with pass-rush potential, and his 11.6% missed tackle percentage is an improvement over his career-mark of 13.7%, but is still near replacement level.

He showed plenty of promise in his first three years to tempt a team to offer him a decent one-year deal, similar to what Drue Tranqull earned with the Chiefs last year. A stronger performance in 2024 will have us far more optimistic about his market next offseason.

• Franchise Tag Likelihood: None
• Projected Contract: 1 Year, $3.5M, $3.5M APY, $1M GTD
• Year One Cap Hit: $2.7M

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Be sure to check back in and around the site for more projections, as we will add more in the coming days and weeks.

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