Matt Gay starts his sixth NFL season with a career field goal percentage of 85.9%, ranking 15th all-time.
When the Indianapolis Colts signed kicker Matt Gay during free agency last offseason, he joined the ranks of the five most accurate kickers in NFL history. After a strange 2023 campaign full of amazing highs and tantalizing lows, he hopes to return to his real self.
On March 17, 2023, Gay signed a four-year contract with Indianapolis worth $22.5 million, with $13 million guaranteed. Gay completed 2023 with 33 made field goals, which tied him for eighth place. His 80.5% field goal percentage from 41 attempts placed 27th in the league. Not ideal for the player, but the Colts signed the NFL’s highest-paid kicker based on average annual value (AAV) at the time of signing.
The Colts needed a heroic effort in Week 3 to pull off a surprise overtime victory in Baltimore. Gay outperformed Ravens kicker Justin Tucker and made single-game career highs by converting 5-of-5 field goals, including an NFL record four from more than 50 yards. He became the seventh kicker in team history to be named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week, as well as the fifth kicker in NFL history to make a game-tying 50-plus-yard field goal in the final two minutes of regulation, followed by a game-winning 50-plus-yard field goal in extra time. Mike Vanderjagt, a former Colts kicker, accomplished the same feat for Indianapolis against the Denver Broncos on Christmas Eve 2002.
The first player to make 4 field goals from 50+ yards in a game: Colts kicker Matt Gay đ@Colts | @MGtweetymonster pic.twitter.com/OHAEDFnINl
— NFL (@NFL) September 25, 2023
In 2023, only Seattle Seahawks kicker Jake Myers (42) attempted more field goals than Gay. Only two NFL kickers have made more field goals from 50 or more yards, the Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey (10-of-10) and the Cardinals’ Matt Prater (9-of-12). Last season, Gay led the AFC with eight field goals from 50 yards or more, but he missed five of those 13 attempts, tying for the most missed field goals from that distance.
Gay hit 9 of 10 field goals from 30-39 yards and 7 of 9 from 40-49 yards. In 2023, his average kick attempt distance was 39.7 yards. Gay ultimately lost his rhythm and struggled with accuracy; last season, his average distance on failed kicks was 48 yards.
The 30-year-old kicker for Indianapolis is one of two active Colts players with a Super Bowl ring, the other being 39-year-old backup quarterback Joe Flacco. Gay has shown that he can be one of the most accurate kickers, as proved by his 2021 season, when he ended with the NFL’s second-highest field goal percentage at 94.1% and earned his first Pro Bowl selection.
Gay starts his sixth NFL season with a career field goal percentage of 85.9%, ranking 15th all-time. His goal before the season begins is to earn the trust of head coach Shane Steichen in high-stakes scenarios. It will be interesting to see how frequently Steichen chooses to leave his offense on the field when presented with a manageable fourth-down situation. To earn his status as the NFL’s third-highest paid kicker, Gay must find his stride and improve his consistency beyond 48 yards.