Kickers Matter Too: Rams Place Original-Round Tender on Matt Gay

Originally posted on FanNation Ram Digest
By Connor Zimmerlee | Last updated 3/16/22

For any football team to be successful, they must be good at all three phases of the game. While having a high-scoring offense or a dominant defense will help win games, a team will only be as good as their special teams unit.

A prime example for this is the 2010 San Diego Chargers, who boasted the NFL's number one offense and defense but with a historically bad special teams unit that cost them a playoff appearance.

This is not lost on the Rams, as they are well aware that a good special teams unit can be the difference between a Super Bowl title and sitting on their couch when the playoffs come around. Knowing this, the Rams have placed an original round tender on kicker Matt Gay, thus retaining him as a free agent.

Matt Gay

Matt Gay and Johnny Hekker

Matt Gay celebrates the game-winning field goal over Tampa Bay.

The cost of the tender for the Rams comes in at $2.54 million which is the lowest tender level for a restricted free agent. While other teams are able to put in offer sheets for the Pro Bowl kicker, with the tender the Rams are able to match the offer if they want to. Should they choose to match an offer the Rams would receive a fifth-round pick, as that was when Gay was originally drafted.

Gay had an impressive 2021 season, connecting on 32 of his 34 field goal attempts for a 94.1 FG%, which was easily the best percentage of his career so far. As well, Gay was 48-49 on extra-point attempts. In the playoffs, Gay put his clutch genes on full display, as he kicked the game-winning field goal to beat Tampa Bay as well as the go-ahead field goal to beat San Francisco in the NFC Championship and put the Rams in the Super Bowl.