As the 2024 NFL season wound down, Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly had seen the writing on the wall.
During the offseason, the Colts had signed defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, linebacker Zaire Franklin, defensive end Tyquan Lewis, cornerback Kenny Moore, wide receiver Michael Pittman and defensive tackle Grover Stewart to contract extensions. But there wasn’t one for Kelly, as there had been in 2020, the previous time the former Alabama All-American was entering the final season of this contract.
Indianapolis also had used a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Wisconsin’s Tanor Bortolini. His potential successor then started five of the seven games that Kelly missed because of injuries during the 2024 season.
“I knew that when I was going into the season,” Kelly said in December. “… Didn’t have a contract extension, right? So, I mean, it is what it is. You know, we don’t know when our time is due. I mean, the amount of guys who are able to say this is when I’m walking away for this reason and have all the control over that is slim to none. And I have no idea what my future holds.”
But speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine, Colts general manager Chris Ballard didn’t close the door on Kelly returning to Indianapolis even though time is running out to keep him with the Colts.
“We’re going to meet again next week,” Ballard said on Tuesday. “Ryan and I will talk. I’m visiting with his agent again this week, and then we’ll make a decision. Right after the season, we visited for a little bit. We didn’t visit about his future, and then I was sick as a dog. … We’ll visit next week.”
Indianapolis has about a week’s worth of exclusive negotiating time left with Kelly. A player with four years of NFL experience and an expiring contract can begin negotiating with other teams at 11 a.m. CST March 10 and can sign with another team at 3 p.m. March 12.
