The Washington Commanders ruthlessly released star kicker Matt Gay just hours after the team landed back in the United States.

Over the weekend, the Commanders lost to the Miami Dolphins 16-13 in front of a massive crowd in Spain. In the loss, Gay missed two attempts, including one that would have sealed the game for Washington.

In light of the mishaps, the Commanders cut the 31-year-old after arriving from their overseas matchup, which comes after the anthem singer faced backlash for her attire. When speaking to reporters after the decision, head coach Dan Quinn explained that while Washington wanted Gay to work out, the Commanders were forced to make a move for the betterment of the team.

He added that releasing a player of Gay’s stature is a move that is never easy for any team, especially considering the star’s presence among his teammates. “Matt has been a fantastic teammate here. An all-time good dude,” Quinn continued. “Really bummed that it didn’t work out. We just felt this is the change that we needed. I just kind of make all decisions.

“This is what we think at this time is the best decisions for the team when they’re hard. Like this one, because of who the person is, it makes it especially difficult. You still have to make the decisions you think are best for the whole team.”

Quinn reiterated that the decision to let Gay go was not solely based on his performance against the Dolphins, but rather his 2025 season as a whole. In 11 games this year, Gay connected on 13 of 19 field goal attempts and was 4-of-9 from beyond 50 yards.

For reference, Gay missed 6-of-9 attempts from the same distance as a member of the Indianapolis Colts last season. “Just not making those kicks,” Quinn said. “Not just the ones yesterday. We want to look at the big picture of things and make sure we can just make the decisions that are best for the team.

“It was a hard one for sure. At that position, the performance, we’ve got to have it. Really bummed we wanted this to work out long-term with Matt. That was a decision that we felt was best, but it wasn’t from one game for sure.”

Moving forward, the Commanders will turn to Jake Moody, whom they signed off the Chicago Bears’ practice squad after releasing Gay. Moody spent time with the San Francisco 49ers before signing with the Bears, connecting on 8-of-9 field goal attempts and 3-of-3 extra point attempts after landing in Chicago.

With Washington in its bye week, Quinn was asked how the team can use the extra days to reset, especially with the Commanders sitting at 3-8 this season. The 55-year-old noted that while the team is recovering, a specific message had to resonate with the players.

“I got to look at the big picture, and make sure the messaging of how we set the tone for what the next half will bring, that’s really important,” he added. “What things need to be changed from what can we emphasize more at practice, OK, … and navigating that is important. The second half of the season, you got a chance to get better, man, and so that’s what I want to see. There’s a lot of players here on this team that I want to see do this and we’ll work really hard to do that.”