The Colts' release of Matt Gay provides the 49ers with an ideal competitor for Jake Moody in training camp.
The San Francisco 49ers acknowledged they were going to bring in some competition this offseason for embattled third-year kicker Jake Moody.
After Moody wholly fell apart late in 2024, following a return from a midseason high-ankle sprain, head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated the Niners would want to find someone who could at least pressure the 2023 third-round NFL Draft choice into performing better.
While San Francisco maintains confidence in Moody, it's painfully obvious his ground is shaky entering 2025.
The 49ers have some options, yes. They could look at this April's draft as a means to find some competition and/or a replacement, likely via the ranks of the undrafted once Round 7 concludes. Or, they could try grabbing a veteran still on the free-agent market.
Turns out, one just became available.
Colts release Matt Gay who could compete with Jake Moody
The Indianapolis Colts just released 31-year-old kicker Matt Gay this week, allowing the fifth-round draft choice of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in 2019 to hit the open market.
We have released K Matt Gay.
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) April 10, 2025
Gay spent the last two seasons in Indy where he compiled an 82.1 field-goal percentage and made all but one of his 69 extra-point attempts.
Over his full career, which included time with the Bucs and Los Angeles Rams, Gay owns an 85.5 field-goal percentage while missing only eight of his 214 extra-point tries. In 2021, Gay was named to the Pro Bowl when he was with L.A.
San Francisco could easily ink Gay to a cheap one-year contract with zero in guaranteed money, allowing him to fully compete with Moody between now and the start of the regular season.
If Moody's struggles continue, the 49ers would at least have a proven Pro Bowler in the ranks who could take over. If Moody bounces back, the low-end contract certainly wouldn't hit the Niners' checking account much at all, essentially just paying Gay to hang around for offseason workouts and into training camp.
It's a win-win scenario, one Indianapolis just handed to San Francisco.
Hat tip to Kyle Madson of Niners Wire for the find.