The battle between Matt Gay, Kansei Matsuzawa shouldn’t be overlooked

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 25: International Player Pathway athlete Kansei Matsuzawa reacts as he signs with the Las Vegas Raiders in the green room during third day of the NFL football draft at Acrisure Stadium on April 25, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images) | Getty Images The battle is simple in concept: The grizzled aging veteran looking to recapture former glory versus an intriguing and accurate (but older) undrafted free agent. That’s the easiest way to sum up the upcoming Las Vegas Raiders kicking competition between Matt Gay and Kansei Matsuzawa.

But the battle between the 32-year-old Gay and 27-year-old Matsuzawa will be anything but basic. It’s a kicking competition that shouldn’t be overlooked as the Silver & Black embark on Klint Kubiak’s inaugural season as head coach. And it’s a vital decision point Kubiak’s chosen special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis will make this offseason.

Our Bill Williamson highlighted this fight earlier this week, nothing Matsuzawa will have chance to make the roster . If you’re dismissing the impeding battle between the two kickers as inconsequential, I get it. “Kickers hardly matter” is often the opine of those who believe special teams isn’t an important aspect of a football team.

But let’s take a look at Kubiak’s most recent tenure before he accepted the gig to lead the Raiders: The 2025 Seattle Seahawks. With Kubiak as offensive coordinator, the Super Bowl champion Seahawks tied for the most field goal attempts this past season with 48 (with the Houston Texans). Trusty veteran kicker Jason Myers (34 years old) went 41-of-48 (85.