Willie
Gay Jr.
LB
#40
Willie Gay Jr.
#40LB
Miami Dolphins
Height : 6' 1" · Weight : 246 lbs · Age : 28
NFL record
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | AST | SACK | FF | FR | YDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Miami Dolphins | 3 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Miami Dolphins | 17 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | New Orleans Saints | 15 | 28 | 19 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 2023 | Kansas City Chiefs | 16 | 58 | 44 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2022 | Kansas City Chiefs | 13 | 88 | 51 | 37 | 2.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | Kansas City Chiefs | 12 | 48 | 26 | 22 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | Kansas City Chiefs | 16 | 39 | 29 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Contract
Miami Dolphins payroll →- 2026 cap number
- 1.26 M$
- Average per year
- 1.40 M$
- Total value
- 1.4 M$
- Seasons left
- 1 · through 2026
2026
1.26 M$
Partially guaranteed
Cap number: the season's salary plus the share of the signing bonus spread over the contract. Total value and average per year cover the whole contract, from its signing.
Advanced stats, 2026 Linebackers
NFL stats →2026 season, in progress (3 games played). The percentile ranks the player among regular linebackers: 90th means better than 90% of them.
Tackles
7
12th percentile
Tackles for loss
0
11th percentile
Sacks
0.0
28th percentile
Pressures
—
Interceptions
0
43th percentile
Passes defended
0
22th percentile
Yards allowed per target
14.7 yd
3th percentile
Passer rating allowed
158.3
0th percentile
Missed tackle rate
—
Defensive snaps
96
0th percentile
Regular season. Data: nflverse (play-by-play, snap counts), Next Gen Stats, Pro Football Reference. EPA: expected points added. CPOE: completion percentage over expected.
2026 end-of-season projection
NFL trends →Projected WAR
-0.3
Games
17
WAR 2026
-0.2
Games played
3
WAR already earned, plus his pace (WAR per game over the last three seasons, 60/25/15, pulled toward the group average) over his team's remaining games, given his availability so far.
Trend
↓ Slight decline (-8)
- 20220.2 WAR · 0.015 per game
- 20230.2 WAR · 0.013 per game
- 20240.1 WAR · 0.007 per game
- 2026-0.2 WAR · -0.067 per game
The trend compares this season's WAR per game with last season's, weighted by games played.
Outlook, age included
-8 · 28 y.o. · prime years
It is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes.
Player ratings, 2026
All ratings →Ratings from 0 to 100, computed over four seasons from data, never by hand, against regulars in the same position group. 75 = established regular, 87 = 90th percentile, 95+ = elite.
OV · Overall
59
Backup or prospect
- TCK
- Tackling
- 73
- COV
- Coverage
- 45
- RDF
- Run defense
- 56
- PRS
- Pass rush
- 74
- DUR
- Durability
- 76
- EX
- Experience
- 70
Why these ratings?Hide details
- TCK — Tackling : Tackles made and missed tackles
- COV — Coverage : Yards and passer rating allowed per target
- RDF — Run defense : Run tackles and tackles for loss, per snap
- PRS — Pass rush : Pressures, sacks and QB hits, per snap
- DUR — Durability : Games played out of his team's, over several seasons
- EX — Experience : Seasons in the NFL
WAR and PAL Rating, 2026
How we rate →WAR: the EPA (expected points added) of every play, above replacement level, shared among those who made it, then converted to wins (35.3 points = one win). PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against regulars in the same group (50 = median).
PAL: dimensions
Where WAR comes from (in wins)
Half the EPA of his sacks, interceptions, passes defended, forced fumbles, tackles for loss and QB hits, against his position's average per snap.
Yards allowed per target against his position's average, 0.12 points per yard (measured).
Replacement level: the share of defense the league spends on his position (by payroll), prorated by snaps.
How much better or worse than average his team's defense was (EPA allowed), minus what is already credited to players, prorated by snaps.
The individual part is splash plays and coverage. The rest is the position share and his team's defense, split by snaps played.
| Season | Team | G | WAR | PAL | OV | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | MIA | 3 | -0.2 | 1 | 59 | 7 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2024 | NO | 15 | 0.1 | 49 | 63 | 26 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 |
| 2023 | KC | 16 | 0.2 | 60 | 63 | 56 | 4 | 1.0 | 1 |
| 2022 | KC | 13 | 0.2 | 75 | 68 | 79 | 6 | 2.5 | 1 |
| 2021 | KC | 12 | -0.1 | 24 | 53 | 44 | 0 | 0.5 | 2 |
Willie Gay Jr. in five questions
What are Willie Gay Jr.'s stats in 2026?
Willie Gay Jr. has 0 sacks and 0 QB hits in 3 games in 2026.
How old and how tall is Willie Gay Jr.?
Willie Gay Jr. is 28 years old. He is 6'1" (185 cm) and weighs 247 lb (112 kg).
How good is Willie Gay Jr.?
Willie Gay Jr. produced -0.2 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2026 (season in progress). His PAL rating is 1 out of 100: very poor for his position.
What number does Willie Gay Jr. wear, and what team does he play for?
Willie Gay Jr. plays for Miami Dolphins in the NFL, at LB, and wears number 40.
What is Willie Gay Jr.'s projection for 2026?
Our projection has him at -0.3 WAR over the full 2026 season, based on his weighted recent seasons and age.
