As thin as the Miami Dolphins left themselves at certain glaring positions of need this past offseason, one spot they were pretty well off at was linebacker.
Between tackling machine Jordyn Brooks and his capable sidekick Tyrel Dodson, Miami has a solid 1-2 punch at that spot. But they also took a flier on a two-time Super Bowl champion who, in all honesty, should've helped far more this season than he did.
As a result of his underwhelming 2025 campaign on a one-year contract, this Dolphins veteran is hitting a rather early career crossroads for someone who turns only 28 in February.
Miami Dolphins LB Willie Gay Jr. is fighting to stay relevant in Miami — and the NFL at large
When you hear the modern cliché, "X person's downfall should be studied", perhaps the most relevant NFL player who fits that mold is Willie Gay Jr., formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Gay went from balling out in two Super Bowl victories — even purring into microphones at championship parades — to relative obscurity in short order.
A one-season stint in New Orleans preceded his current time with the Fins. He's had little to show for it this year, with only 14 total tackles and two sacks.
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Maybe some of that has to do with the brilliance of Brooks and Dodson. However, Gay was an all-around stellar linebacker in Kansas City. Brooks and Dodson are more known for their run defense, and while Gay excels there, he was believed to be an upgrade over that pair in pass coverage.
Instead, Gay has gone largely forgotten in Miami. Even some Chiefs fans are missing him relative to what they've experienced amid their own disappointing season, which has resulted in the unicorn-esque occurrence of missing the playoffs.
It's not like Gay has had some major injury or any known off-field issue that's diffused his prior promising trajectory. Gay's relegation to situational duties is quite a mystery.
One silver lining to that reality is that Gay should have very fresh legs and a lot of motivational fuel to prove himself in 2026. Many Dolphins are due to hit free agency, and given how well Brooks and Dodson have played, he'll likely seek greener pastures and a shot at a starting role elsewhere once he hits the open market.
Gay's decline with the Saints last year was odd enough. The Dolphins rolled the dice on him, and he hasn't panned out. Unless he does something exceptional in the final two games, his future in Miami is tenuous at best.