After taking down the Miami Dolphins in the Wild Card Round, Willie Gay and the Kansas City Chiefs are officially onto the second round of the playoffs. As the third seed, everyone within the organization was probably rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers to upset the Buffalo Bills, as that would mean Kansas City would host another playoff game. However, the Bills took care of business, which means that the Chiefs will have to travel to Buffalo for the Divisional Round.
Chances are, the Chiefs have played their last game at Arrowhead Stadium for the season. While they could still host the AFC Championship Game, they’d need to beat the Bills and the Houston Texans would need to upset the Baltimore Ravens. Even if you assume each team has a 50/50 shot of winning their respective matchups, that only leaves Kansas City with a 25% chance of hosting another playoff game. Starting linebacker and impending free agent Willie Gay Jr recognized this and took to X (formerly Twitter) to speak about the bittersweet nature of this playoff run.
It’s looking like Ive probably played my last game in arrowhead😢. Damn im going to miss that place. Nothing like it❤️💛 lets go get this Ring to end it the right way🤞🏾
— Willie Gay Jr (@WillieGayJr) January 15, 2024
Willie Gay Jr: I’ve Probably Played My Last Game In Arrowhead
The Kansas City Chiefs originally selected Willie Gay in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. After spending the early portions of his rookie season as a rotational player, he earned a starting role down the stretch and never relinquished that position. While he’s far from an All-Pro, Willie Gay is still a starting-caliber player who can be a valuable player in the right system. Gay appeared in 16 games this past season, recording 58 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, three quarterback hits, and one interception.
According to Pro Football Focus, Gay’s 54.0 grade ranked 74th out of 83 eligible players. This isn’t great, but it’s worth noting that his 72.2 run defense grade is one of the better marks in the league. Gay is a valuable player in the trenches, he just isn’t the best coverage player. Unfortunately, he plays for the Chiefs, which means that opposing offenses are usually throwing the ball, which means more coverage snaps.
Willie Gay could be a valuable player on a team that needs a good run defender, but that team isn’t Kansas City. Even if it was, the Chiefs are probably going to make all their big investments on the offensive side of the ball. Gay probably will be playing on a new team next year, but who will get him?
Possible Free Agent Destinations
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens have the best defense in football, but they’re going to have a tough time replicating that success in 2024. Several big-name defensive players like Justin Madubuike, Jadeveon Clowney, and Patrick Queen are set to hit free agency, and the team isn’t going to be able to bring everyone back. Of the three aforementioned names, Queen is probably the least important to the long-term success of the Baltimore Ravens. Willie Gay isn’t as good as Queen, but he can take over the starting role for a fraction of the cost.
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are enjoying the early parts of the Jordan Love Era, as the team has already advanced to the NFC Divisional Round. This team is well ahead of schedule in their rebuild, but they’d be even better if they could fix their defense. The Packers allowed a staggering 128 rushing yards per game last year, and that’s not going to fly. Willie Gay won’t fix the issue singlehandedly, but signing him and firing Joe Barry would help the team.
Carolina Panthers
Most of the Carolina Panthers offseason should be devoted to fixing the offense. However, they can’t completely ignore a defense that allowed over 120 rushing yards per game. This team could use another linebacker and Willie Gay can fill a void on the roster without taking up too much cap space.
Main Photo: Denny Medley – USA Today Sports
