Ryan Kelly Colts Free Agent Watch
INDIANAPOLIS – Is the longest tenured Colt about to see his marriage with the organization come to an end?
Reading the tea leaves, it appears that is happening for Ryan Kelly and the Colts.
A 9-year marriage saw the two sides unable to agree on an extension prior to the start of the 2024 season, just months after the team drafted Tanor Bortolini in Round 4, the highest center selection for the franchise since Kelly was drafted in Round 1 of the 2016 Draft.
Kelly, who turns 32 in May, was very emotional in the post-game locker room following the end to the Colts 2024 season.
Missing 7 games in a contract year, when you are north of 30 years old and the franchise has just drafted your apparent successor is never an ideal recipe to continue a relationship into a 10th season.
That’s just the harsh reality of NFL business.
Carrying a base salary of more than $11 million last year, Kelly was one of the highest paid centers in the NFL.
When Kelly wasn’t in the lineup, it was Bortolini getting a handful of rookie starts.
Speaking strictly from a financial state, it would be more than ideal for the Colts to save north of $10 million by letting the 4-time Pro Bowler in Kelly hit free agency, and handing those starting center keys to Bortolini.
That idea picked up steam when the Colts began Day 3 of the 2024 Draft by choosing the Wisconsin center.
Later in the offseason, Kelly was told that a third contract from the Colts—this one an extension before the start of the 2024 season—wouldn’t be coming.
That brings us to the 2025 offseason.
At this point, a return of Kelly would be a bit of a surprise.
