Hogs Haven
Washington Post (paywall)
Washington signed Gay to a lucrative one-year deal in the offseason, hoping to solve what has been an ongoing issue. Instead, he is out and Moody, 25, is in.
Gay, 31, made just 13 of his 19 field goal attempts and particularly struggled from beyond 50 yards, from which he had missed more attempts (five) than he had made (four) through 10 games.
It will now be Moody’s turn.
The 25-year-old has spent the better part of the season in Chicago after being cut by the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 9. He made 8 of 9 field goal attempts in two appearances with the Bears — including the 38-yard game-winner in their Oct. 13 win over Washington — but has struggled from distance. He has made just 6 of 12 field goals from 50-plus yards in 34 career games.
Moody has a prior relationship with Peters, who was the assistant general manager in San Francisco when the 49ers selected him in the third round of the 2023 draft. His draft position (99th overall) was high for a kicker, and he rewarded the team with a solid rookie season in which he converted 84 percent of his field goals. But his sophomore season was shaky, and two misses in the opener this year prompted his release.
Moody becomes the 10th kicker to sign in Washington with Quinn and Peters at the helm, continuing an absurdly high degree of turnover at one of the sport’s most pressure-packed positions. Some of the previous nine never played in a game, others succumbed to injuries, and some — such as Matthew Wright, who was signed after Gay got hurt — were temporary fill-ins.
Gay was supposed to stop that kicker carousel from spinning. When the Commanders signed him in March, they gave him a fully guaranteed $4.25 million contract.
Gay appeared visibly distraught while speaking with reporters after Sunday’s game. He said the snap and hold on the potential game-winner were perfect, the attempt was within his range, and the ball felt good leaving his foot. But “it only counts if it goes through,” he continued, and he instead was left to try to assume blame for the Commanders’ sixth consecutive loss.
Commanders Wire
Samuel and Moody were teammates with the 49ers for two seasons (2023-24) and had a memorable sideline altercation last November. After Moody missed his third field goal, Samuel confronted him on the sideline. Long snapper Taybor Pepper intervened, and Samuel took a swipe at his neck, making contact with Moody’s facemask.
Here’s the incident.
The incident reflected poorly on Samuel at the time, but he spoke about it afterward, accepting responsibility.
“Normally I don’t even get like that, but just frustrated in the heat of battle, a close game, and I kind of got out of character a...
