Chiefs rookie LB Willie Gay Jr. out for Super Bowl after knee surgery

Kansas City Chiefs rookie linebacker Willie Gay Jr. won't play versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7. 

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Gay will miss the championship game after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus. As Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith noted, Gay suffered the setback during a Thursday practice.

The 22-year-old selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft should be good to go for training camp sessions and the start of the 2021 season. 

During the 2020 campaign, Gay started in eight of 16 regular-season games and tallied 39 total tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and three passes defended. Per Pete Sweeney of Arrowhead Pride, Gay went down to a high ankle sprain in the Week 17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and missed both playoff contests. 

Earlier in the day, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that the NFL intends to test Chiefs and Buccaneers players and coaches twice daily for COVID-19 in an attempt to prevent a coronavirus outbreak ahead of the Super Bowl. Anyone who tests positive for the virus between Friday morning and Feb. 7 won't be available to take part in Super Bowl LV.