Juiceman Out! Chiefs star confirms exit on social media

Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay Jr. has likely played his last game as a Chief, and he's making sure he enjoys every last second of it.

The shirtless and intoxicated linebacker headlined Kansas City's Super Bowl parade on Wednesday. Rather than joining his teammates on the double-decker buses, he marched in front of them, soaking up every moment alongside the fans from the ground level.

If the Chiefs host another parade in the years to come, they'll likely have to do it without Gay.

Gay, who was drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, is set to hit free agency this offseason, and he doesn't seem to expect that he'll be a part of the team's future plans.

Linebacker Willie Gay Jr. doesn't expect to return to Kansas City Chiefs

Following the Chiefs' win over the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Wild Card Round, Gay suggested that his time in Kansas City was coming to an end.

"It's looking like I've probably played my last game in Arrowhead [Stadium]," Gay posted on X (formerly Twitter). "Damn, I'm going to miss that place ... lets go get this Ring to end it the right way."

Following the parade, Gay appeared to say his goodbyes to Chiefs Kingdom.

"I love you FOREVER Kansas City!!!" Gay posted. "JUICEMAN OUT."

Gay has played a prominent role in Kansas City's back-to-back championships and has emerged as one of the defensive unit's brightest stars. During the 2023 NFL season, the 25-year-old started 16 games and compiled 58 tackles, four tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries and one interception. In 2022, Gay had a career-high 88 tackles, along with nine tackles for loss, one fumble recovery and one interception.

Unfortunately for Gay, there are too many other pieces around him that will likely take priority. Besides the emergence of linebackers Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill, the defense has other key players that will eat away at the Chiefs' salary cap.

The Chiefs will enter the 2024 NFL offseason with approximately $23.8 million in cap space available, per Spotrac. That ranks 17th in the league, but the estimated cost of signing incoming rookies and filling out the bottom of the roster will chew up an estimated $15.7 million of that space. It's not an awful situation to be in, but Kansas City will have to restructure some contracts and make some tough decisions about their current players.

If there's one thing league executives know about Super Bowl champions, it's that they want to get paid. Following the New England Patriots infamous 25-point comeback victory against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI, tight end Martellus Bennett made that very clear. "I'm going into free agency as a Super Bowl champion," Bennett said. "You know they overpay Super Bowl champions!"

All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones and All-Pro cornerback L'Jarius Sneed are due for monster contracts. Spotrac estimates Jones' value at $85.4 million over three years — an average of $28.4 million per year. Sneed's market value comes out to a four-year, $65.3 million contract — an average of $16.3 million per year.

The obstacles will continue to rise, and it's up to general manager Brett Veach to make the right decisions on which players to keep, which ones to move on from and which ones to bring in.

So far, he has done a pretty good job.

Gay Jr.'s time in Kansas City may be coming to an end but you can still score a big payday with BetMGM's $150 instant bonus for any $5 bet today! Chiefs fans who deposit at least $10 and bet $5 or more on any game right now will immediately get $150 in bonus bets win or lose. Sign up for BetMGM now!