Willie Gay Jr. (born February 15, 1998) is an American professional football linebacker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Mississippi State. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs with the 63rd overall selection in the 2020 NFL draft.
![]() Gay in 2023 | |||||||||||||
No. 6 – New Orleans Saints | |||||||||||||
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Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||
Born: | Starkville, Mississippi, U.S. | February 15, 1998||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||
Weight: | 243 lb (110 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
High school: | Starkville (MS) | ||||||||||||
College: | Mississippi State (2017–2019) | ||||||||||||
NFL draft: | 2020 / Round: 2 / Pick: 63 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
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Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||||||
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Player stats at PFR |
Early years
editGay attended Starkville High School in Starkville, Mississippi. At Starkville High School, he won the 2015 6A State Championship.[1] He played in the 2017 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.[2][3] He committed to Mississippi State University to play college football.[4][5]
College career
editGay played at Mississippi State from 2017 to 2019.[6] As a junior in 2019, he played in only five games and missed eight due to suspension.[7] After the season, he entered the 2020 NFL draft, forgoing his senior season.[8][9] During his career, he had 99 tackles, six sacks, three interceptions and a touchdown.[10]
Professional career
editHeight | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft 1+1⁄8 in (1.86 m) |
243 lb (110 kg) |
32+5⁄8 in (0.83 m) |
10+1⁄2 in (0.27 m) |
4.46 s | 1.55 s | 2.60 s | 4.30 s | 7.08 s | 39.5 in (1.00 m) |
11 ft 4 in (3.45 m) |
21 reps | |
All values from NFL Combine[11][12] |
Kansas City Chiefs
editGay was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round with the 63rd overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, which was previously acquired by the Chiefs in a 2019 trade that sent Dee Ford to the San Francisco 49ers.[13] In Week 5 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Gay recorded his first career sack.[14] On February 6, 2021, Gay was placed on injured reserve, forcing him to miss Super Bowl LV.[15]
Gay was placed on injured reserve on September 2, 2021.[16] He was activated on October 9.[17]
On September 19, 2022, Gay was suspended for four games for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy due to his arrest in January 2022.[18] Gay went on to help the Chiefs win Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles 38–35. Gay recorded eight tackles in the Super Bowl.[19]
In 2023, Gay had 58 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 3 fumble recoveries, 1 interception, and 4 passes defended. Gay helped the Chiefs reach Super Bowl LVIII where they defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 to win their second straight championship.[20] Gay recorded 4 tackles in the game.[21]
New Orleans Saints
editOn March 13, 2024, Gay signed a one-year contract with the New Orleans Saints.[22]
NFL career statistics
editLegend | |
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Won the Super Bowl | |
Bold | Career high |
Regular season
editYear | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
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GP | GS | Comb | Solo | Ast | Sck | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
2020 | KC | 16 | 8 | 39 | 29 | 10 | 1.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2021 | KC | 12 | 11 | 48 | 26 | 22 | 0.5 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 7.0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2022 | KC | 13 | 13 | 88 | 51 | 37 | 2.5 | 8 | 1 | 47 | 47.0 | 47 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
2023 | KC | 16 | 15 | 58 | 44 | 14 | 1.0 | 4 | 1 | 24 | 24.0 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Career | 57 | 47 | 233 | 150 | 83 | 5.0 | 19 | 4 | 85 | 21.3 | 47 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
Playoffs
editYear | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
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GP | GS | Comb | Total | Ast | Sck | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
2020 | KC | DNP | |||||||||||||||
2021 | KC | 3 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2022 | KC | 3 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2023 | KC | 3 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career | 9 | 9 | 29 | 19 | 11 | 0.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Legal trouble
editGay was arrested on January 19, 2022, for misdemeanor criminal destruction of property less than $1,000. He reportedly went to see his son at his son's mother's house. The two got into an argument and Gay damaged a vacuum cleaner, a humidifier, and a cellphone screen protector, as well as a wall and door.[23]
References
edit- ^ Horka, Tyler (April 23, 2020). "5 things to know about former Mississippi State linebacker Willie Gay Jr". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- ^ "Dandy Dozen LB Gay Play Army All-American Bowl". The Clarion Ledger.
- ^ Smith, Cam (October 6, 2016). "Starkville (Miss.) LB Willie Gay on Ole Miss commitment and Army All-American Bowl". USA Today. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ Middleton, Dalton (February 2, 2017). "Starkville High's Gay picks MSU over Ole Miss". The Commercial Dispatch. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ Lowery, Logan (September 13, 2017). "Staying home the right choice for Starkville's Gay". Daily Journal. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ Coleman, Joel (April 3, 2019). "MSU linebacker Gay Jr. puts in work during spring". Starkville Daily News. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ Portnoy, Ben (September 21, 2019). "Willie Gay Jr. brings the dramatics in return from suspension". The Commercial Dispatch. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ Horka, Tyler (January 6, 2020). "Mississippi State linebacker Willie Gay makes decision on 2020 NFL Draft". The Clarion Ledger. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ Lowery, Logan (January 6, 2020). "MSU's Gay entering NFL Draft early". Daily Journal. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ "Willie Gay College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
- ^ "Willie Gay Jr. Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ "2020 Draft Scout Willie Gay Jr, Mississippi State NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
- ^ Littler, Tiffany (April 24, 2020). "NFL DRAFT: Chiefs pick Willie Gay Jr. in second round". KSNT. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ "Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs – October 11th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ Franklin, Tucker (February 6, 2021). "Chiefs Place Eric Fisher, Willie Gay On Injured Reserve". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ Alper, Josh (September 2, 2021). "Chiefs put Willie Gay on injured reserve". NBCSports.com. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ Teope, Herbie (October 9, 2021). "KC Chiefs activate Willie Gay Jr. from injury list. He's questionable Sunday vs. Bills". KansasCity.com. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ Gordon, Grant (September 19, 2022). "Chiefs LB Willie Gay suspended four games for violating NFL personal conduct policy". NFL.com.
- ^ "Super Bowl LVII - Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs - February 12th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
- ^ Maaddi, Rob (February 12, 2024). "Patrick Mahomes rallies the Chiefs to second straight Super Bowl title, 25–22 over 49ers in overtime". AP News. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ "Super Bowl LVIII - San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs - February 11th, 2024". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints agree to terms with linebacker Willie Gay". NewOrleansSaints.com. March 13, 2024.
- ^ Teicher, Adam (January 20, 2022). "Kansas City Chiefs' Willie Gay arrested on misdemeanor criminal property damage charge". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 16, 2024.