INGLEWOOD — When Matt Gay got the message from a Rams publicist on Wednesday that he’d been picked for the Pro Bowl, the kicker reread the text to make sure it was real, then phoned his wife with the news.
Then he thought about his career’s end-over-end flight to this high honor.
Drafted in the fifth round out of Utah. Up and down as a rookie with Tampa Bay. Waived by the Buccaneers the next summer. Buried on the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad. Waiting for his next chance, a matter of when, not if.
“All the while just knowing, deep down in your heart, that you’re a starter in this league, that you deserve to be playing on Sundays,” Gay said, “and just sticking to your guns and believing in yourself and having a wife and family that are supporting you the whole way and believing in you as well.
“Just making sure that when I did get out on that field, I would make the most of it.”
A year and a month after the Rams gave him the chance, Gay has fulfilled that promise to himself.
The 27-year-old, in his third NFL season, was one of four Rams named to the NFC Pro Bowl roster this week. Alongside the selections of Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, cornerback Jalen Ramsey and wide receiver Cooper Kupp, Gay’s was the one not everybody saw coming.
When the Rams signed Gay off the Colts’ practice squad in November 2020, they weren’t looking for a star, only a kicker who could make an extra point. Rookie Sam Sloman and his replacement Kai Forbath combined to miss four PATs and four field-goal attempts in the first nine games.
Gay was dependable from the start, his 40-yard field goal with 2:36 left securing a 27-24 victory at Tampa Bay in his Rams debut on Nov. 23, 2020. He made 18 of 20 field-goal attempts during the 2020 regular season and playoffs and went 20 for 20 on extra points.
The Rams’ kicker from the outset this season, Gay is 28 for 29 on field goals (a league-leading 96.6%) and 40 of 41 on PATs. He has made 20 field-goal attempts in a row, including 55-yarders the past two weeks.
Just as he gained determination from his practice squad purgatory, Gay said he drew lessons from his rare misses.
The first came from the way Coach Sean McVay, holder Johnny Hekker and others reacted when he missed a 44-yarder on the second of his three field-goal attempts in his first Rams game.
“Immediately after that miss, Sean, Johnny, all the guys were like, ‘Hey, we got you,’” Gay remembered this week. “I didn’t even know some of their names. To show that support immediately, it was like, ‘Wow, this is a good group. This is a special place.’
“They gave me confidence to come back out and hit another field goal in that game that helped us get the win.”
Then there was the bright side in Gay’s lone miss this season. You might think he, well, kicks himself for spoiling perfection with that 46-yard attempt in the third quarter of the Rams’ 37-20 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in October. But he calls it a reality check and a “key moment” in the story of his season.
“No, I don’t look back and wish I was perfect, because the reason I’ve been blessed to be as consistent as I’ve been of late is because of that,” Gay said. “Looking back, that was a kick where I almost went through the motions on it. I got caught up in everything.
“That was a big clicking moment for me, like ‘That can’t happen again. You’ve got to be locked in, you’ve got to be focused on every single kick, every extra point or field goal.’”
Gay, who was All-America at Utah and set a Pac-12 record with 30 field goals (in 34 attempts) in 2017, won his first Pro Bowl honor in voting by NFL fans, coaches and players.
He calls his wife, Millie, “the real champ behind this.” He choked up while talking about calling her in Utah, where she and their children live during the season, with the Pro Bowl news.
“She’s seen me through times that have been rough, been tough, the lowest of lows. She sees you at your most vulnerable,” Gay said. “She’s been there to support and love through those times. She’s also been the one to get me out of it and be a little hard on me when I need to be told to get going.”
Gay’s 38-yard field goal with 2:23 left in the Rams’ 27-24 victory over the Colts in Week 2 is his most dramatic so far this season.
“Every point counts in this league,” Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “We’ve got a guy that’s been great so far and been really clutch.”
Now, Gay seems due for a chance to win a game in the last second. That could happen Sunday when the Rams (10-4) face the Minnesota Vikings (7-7), who have had six games (two wins, four losses) decided by three points or fewer this season.
“That’s what you pretend about as a kid. You count down the clock as time expires. You have to have the confidence to welcome that,” Gay said. “I hope we’re not in that position, because I hope the team’s doing well. But if it ever comes along, I would love one of those.”Given what he’s done with his chances in the past year, Gay should make the most of it.
TWO STARTERS RETURN
Rams tight end Tyler Higbee and safety Jordan Fuller were activated from the COVID-19 reserve list on Friday, making them eligible to play against the Vikings on Sunday in Minneapolis.
They were the last starters to be activated after the Rams had eight starters on the list at one point last week.
“It’s definitely a big boost for us,” McVay said.
NOTES
Cam Akers practiced with the team for the first time this season after the running back was designated for return from injured reserve on Thursday, giving the Rams 21 days to decide whether to activate him. “You could just see, he just brought an extra energy to the practice today,” McVay said of Akers, who tore an Achilles tendon in July. “(As for) when he actually gets on the field (for a game), watching him move around, it might be sooner than later.” … The Rams practiced under SoFi Stadium’s canopy, instead of in Thousand Oaks, to get out of the rain on Friday. … Defensive lineman Greg Gaines (ankle) was listed as questionable for Sunday’s game on the Friday injury report.
