The Indianapolis Colts made a seriously bold decision in the offseason, kicking Matt Gay to the curb and signing Spencer Shrader, a homegrown talent who had most recently played for the Kansas City Chiefs. While Gay initially showed promise, but ended up a disappointment.
Initially selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2019 NFL Draft, Gay was quickly waived at the end of that season, and then briefly landed on the Colts' practice squad. He was again released and signed with the Los Angeles Rams, where he began showing his potential.
Gay went with the Rams to a Super Bowl championship in 2021 and was named to the Pro Bowl the same year. He finally made his way back to Indianapolis in 2023, with the largest free-agent contract for a kicker in NFL history. It seemed like a good move at first, as Gay became the first kicker in NFL history to hit four 50+ yard field goals in a single game.
Indianapolis Colts' Spencer Shrader named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month
However, injuries and inconsistency brought his career to a screeching halt, and he had just a 50% success rate on attempts of 50 yards or longer (11 of 22). His completion percentage in 2024 was 83.8%, the 24th-best percentage in the NFL among kickers with at least 10 attempts. Shrader was brought in to compete with Gay and ended up victorious.
It has clearly paid off, as Shrader has been fantastic, and the league is taking notice.
The NFL named its AFC Players of the Month, with Shrader named the special teams honoree. He is the fourth Colt to be given the award, alongside Mike Vanderjagt, Adam Vinatieri, and Cary Blanchard. As the press release noted,
"Shrader led the NFL in field goals made (13) and total points scored (51) in September, becoming the only player to record more than 40 points in the season’s first month. He missed only one of his 26 kicks (14 field goal attempts, 12 point-after attempts)."
Releasing Gay and signing Shrader was a big gamble for the Colts, as Gay had been signed to a historic contract just one year prior. And while Shrader had shown some glimpses of talent previously, he wasn't exactly a proven prospect.
SPENCER SHRADER WINS IT FOR THE @COLTS! pic.twitter.com/LIjazH29Sj
— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025
As mentioned, Shrader is originally from Indianapolis and graduated from the University of Notre Dame, setting a school record with a 54-yard field goal. He went undrafted after graduating and signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent. He was released in October and signed with the New York Jets before being traded to Kansas City to play for the Chiefs.
This seemed to go well at first, but a hamstring injury cut his Chiefs career short, and he was placed on injured reserve. The Chiefs chose to release Shrader ahead of free agency, which brought him back home to Indianapolis.
The Colts have made it clear that they have faith in Shrader, and that faith is clearly being repaid.