A two-time Super Bowl champion linebacker from his Kansas City years who has since bounced through New Orleans and Miami.
Willie Gay Jr. arrived in the NFL as an explosive, sideline-to-sideline linebacker out of Mississippi State and immediately found winning football in Kansas City. Now seven years into his career, he brings championship pedigree and coverage versatility to whichever linebacker room he joins.
Path to the league
Gay played three seasons at Mississippi State, appearing in 31 games with six starts and totaling 99 tackles, six sacks and three interceptions. The Kansas City Chiefs selected him in the second round (63rd overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Over four seasons in Kansas City, Gay appeared in 57 regular-season games with 47 starts, recording 231 tackles, five sacks, four interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and 19 passes defensed. He started all nine playoff games he played in for the Chiefs, including two Super Bowl victories, before signing with the New Orleans Saints in free agency in March 2024.
2025 season recap
After a 2024 season in New Orleans, Gay moved on to Miami for 2025, appearing in all 17 regular-season games and recording 20 tackles, 2.0 sacks and two passes defensed in a rotational role.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Willie Gay
- Pro Football Reference: Willie Gay Jr.
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
17 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | dolphins | 17 | 20 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2024 | saints | 15 | 28 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2023 | chiefs | 16 | 58 | 44 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 2022 | chiefs | 13 | 88 | 51 | 2.5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| 2021 | chiefs | 12 | 48 | 26 | 0.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2020 | chiefs | 16 | 39 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- Mississippi State
- Hometown
- Starkville, MS, USA
- Age
- 28
- Status
- active
