Colts Just Lost Their Heart and Soul: Colt Starter and Captain to Hit the Open Market, Sparking a Fierce Bidding War
The Indianapolis Colts have multiple key players set to hit free agency this offseason.
One of them is Ryan Kelly, the longest-tenured Colts player on last year’s roster. Kelly is the starting center and multi-year team captain. He recently spoke with Colts beat writer Mike Chappell of FOX 59 and CBS 4 Sports and explained where his head is at as he prepares to hit the open market for the first time in his career.
Colts center Ryan Kelly plans to see what is available on the market when free agency opens in March
Kelly told Chappell that he is “excited to see what’s out there” (on the market). In a telling statement, he also said, “Indy can always match it,” which corroborates his past statements that returning to the Colts is his top priority.
This past year has felt like one where the Colts and Kelly are likely heading toward their opposite ways. The Colts saw some exciting flashes from rookie Tanor Bortolini when he filled in for Kelly. And with multiple other needs on their roster presenting themselves, paying Kelly what he is worth seems unlikely.
The Colts drafted Kelly in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He has spent his entire nine-year career in Indianapolis, starting all 121 games. During that time, he has been named to four Pro Bowls, the most recent coming in 2023. He has been a fantastic Colt and a great leader on and off the field. If he has, in fact, played his final game in a Colts uniform, he should take a lot of pride in the impact he made for the team and the city of Indianapolis.
