The New Orleans Saints signed Willie Gay Jr. away from the Kansas City Chiefs with the expectation that some of his Super Bowl pixie dust would rub off on this roster. Needless to say, his lone season with the Saints didn't lead to the same degree of postseason success.
Gay was graded as one of the worst linebackers in the league last season, which left a hole in the middle of Dennis Allen's defense that was exposed constantly by opposing teams. New Orleans had limited money to spend in free agency, and they seemingly never made Gay a priority.
The Miami Dolphins believe they have the secret ingredient that can get Gay back on track, as they agreed to terms with him on a one-year contract. Saints fans have to be laughing at this move, as he was one of the worst players in the league at his position.
The Saints have the ability to move off Gay without missing a ton of production. While Kansas City got a solid player and leader, the Saints saw someone who declined so sharply that they were unwilling to keep leaning on him as a starter.
Former Saints LB Willie Gay signs with Dolphins in free agency
Gay started 47 games for Kansas City serving as the primary two-down thumper inside in Steve Spagnuolo's defense. Did the same guy make the trip down to New Orleans? The player the Saints got was a complete liability who lost his starting job when he arrived in New Orleans.
Gay's 43.9 Pro Football Focus grade was ranked 173rd out of 189 linebackers, which doesn't take an analytical football mind to see how bad he was. His 35.7 coverage grade shows what a liability he was. No wonder new head coach Kellen Moore and defensive coordinator Brandon Staley weren't clamoring to bring him back.
Miami seems to be banking on playing in a more successful team could bring out the best of him. While he might be better in a scheme more conducive to maximizing his specific skills, the Saints have seen that he is a very limited player at this stage of his career who can't be on the field on third down.
While many Saints departures could be difficult for certain segments of the fanbase to stomach, Gay is not a player many fans will hold in very high regard after he failed to live up to the hype.