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The original was posted on /r/nfl by /u/ColtsClown on 2025-03-01 14:27:07+00:00.
2024 Indianapolis Colts
Record: 8-9 | 2nd in AFC South | Eliminated from playoff contention week 17
It’s October 1st, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium, the third quarter just ended, and the Indianapolis Colts trail the LA Rams 8-23. Anthony Richardson is 5/15 on passing attempts so far and has just thrown five straight incompletions. It’s a long 2nd and 20 when Richardson does something pretty cool: he steps up in the pocket past Michel Hoecht, jumps up to get over Aaron Donald, and launches a 38 yard bomb to Alec Pierce. The next play, he hits Michael Pittman Jr on the run for 15 yards and, a few plays later, runs it into the endzone himself. After a defensive stop, Richardson takes the field again to find Andrew Ogletree a few times to score, and finally throws a quick pass to Pittman on the 2-point conversion to tie the game. In those two drives, Richardson is 5/7 for 101 yards, 1 TD, and a perfect passer rating.
The Colts would lose the OT coin toss, and Puka Nacua would seal the game with his first NFL touchdown. But the Colts had finally gotten a taste of what the Anthony Richardson experiment could look like. Some QB runs, a deep bomb or two, and a bit of clever play design from Shane Steichen came together to form an explosive offense that is hard to defend and fun to watch. However, two good drives does not a franchise quarterback make, and after an unfortunate shoulder injury the following week, Richardson’s season was over.
Optimism
This is the key word to describe the start of the Colts 2024 offseason. Despite a bitter loss in a win-and-in game to close out the season, the prospect of a franchise quarterback paired with Shane Steichen was exciting. The Colts had previously had a different week 1 starting QB for each of the last 7 seasons, a streak that the team was thrilled to break. Anthony Richardson would have a full offseason with the team and plenty of time to get healthy, hopefully elevating a Gardner Minshew-led 9-8 roster to the next level. For the first time in years, season tickets sold out.
Table of Contents
Follow the links below to read each section. For those looking for a TLDR, skip past all that to get to the Recap and Outlook where I’ll give you the good, the bad, and the ugly about this team and its future.
Recap and Outlook
Arrivals
| Player |
Position |
Years |
Total $ (Guaranteed $) |
| Joe Flacco |
QB |
1 |
$8.7M ($4.5M) |
| Raekwon Davis |
DT |
2 |
$14M ($7) |
Departures
| Player |
Position |
Team |
Years |
Total $ (Guaranteed $) |
| Gardner Minshew |
QB |
Raiders |
2 |
$25M ($14M) |
| Zack Moss |
RB |
Bengals |
2 |
$8M ($3M) |
| Isaiah McKenzie |
WR |
Giants |
1 |
$1.4M (-) |
Extensions and Re-signings
| Player |
Position |
Years |
Total $ (Guaranteed $) |
| Michael Pittman Jr. |
WR |
3 |
$70M ($41M) |
| Grover Stewart |
DT |
3 |
$39M ($18M) |
| Zaire Franklin |
LB |
3 |
$31M ($17M) |
| Julian Blackmon |
S |
1 |
$7.7M ($3.2M) |
| Kenny Moore II |
CB |
3 |
$30M ($16M) |
| Tyquan Lewis |
DE |
2 |
$12M ($7.7M) |
| Trey Sermon |
RB |
1 |
$1M (-) |
| Danny Pinter |
C/OG |
1 |
$1.2M (500K) |
| Rigoberto Sanchez |
P |
3 |
$7.5M ($2.5M) |
| Player |
Position |
Round |
School |
Made Roster? |
| Laiatu Latu |
EDGE |
1 |
UCLA |
Yes |
| Adonai Mitchell |
WR |
2 |
Georgia |
Yes |
| Matt Goncalves |
OT |
3 |
Pittsburgh |
Yes |
| Tanor Bortolini |
C |
4 |
Wisconsin |
Yes |
| Anthony Gould |
WR |
5 |
Oregon State |
Yes |
| Jaylon Carlies |
S/LB |
5 |
Mizzou |
Yes |
| Jaylin Simpson |
S |
6 |
Auburn |
No |
| Micah Abraham |
CB |
6 |
Marshall |
No |
| Jonah Laula |
DT |
7 |
Oklahoma |
No |
| Dalton Tucker |
G |
UDFA |
Marshall |
Yes |
| Jason Bean |
QB |
UDFA |
Kansas |
No (PS) |
| Week |
Matchup |
Score (W/L) |
Record |
AR5 (Comp%) |
| 1 |
vs. Texans |
27 - 29 (L) |
0 - 1 |
47.3% |
| 2 |
@ Packers |
10 - 16 (L) |
0 - 2 |
50.0% |
| 3 |
vs. Bears |
21 - 16 (W) |
1 - 2 |
50.0% |
| 4 |
vs. Steelers |
27 - 24 (W) |
2 - 2 |
75.0% |
| 5 |
@ Jaguars |
34 - 37 (L) |
2 - 3 |
- |
| 6 |
@ Titans |
20 - 17 (W) |
3 - 3 |
- |
| 7 |
vs. Dolphins |
15 - 10 (W) |
4 - 3 |
- |
| 8 |
@ Texans |
20 - 23 (L) |
4 - 4 |
31.3% |
| 9 |
@ Vikings |
13 - 21 (L) |
4 - 5 |
- |
| 10 |
vs. Bills |
30 - 20 (L) |
4 - 6 |
- |
| 11 |
@ Jets |
28 - 27 (W) |
5 - 6 |
66.7% |
| 12 |
vs. Lions |
6 - 24 (L) |
5 - 7 |
39.3% |
| 13 |
@ Patriots |
25 - 24 (W) |
6 - 7 |
50.0% |
| 14 |
BYE |
- |
- |
- |
| 15 |
@ Broncos |
13 - 31 (L) |
6 - 8 |
44.7% |
| 16 |
vs. Titans |
38 - 30 (W) |
7 - 8 |
63.6% |
| 17 |
@ Giants |
33 - 45 (L) |
7 - 9 |
- |
| 18 |
vs. Jaguars |
26 - 23 (W) |
8 - 9 |
- |
| Player |
Position |
Starter |
Likely to Re-sign? |
| Ryan Kelly |
C |
Yes |
No |
| Will Fries |
RG |
Yes |
Yes |
| Mo Alie-Cox |
TE |
Yes |
No |
| Kylen Granson |
TE |
Yes |
Maybe |
| EJ Speed |
LB |
Yes |
Maybe |
| Julian Blackmon |
S |
Yes |
No |
| Dayo Odeyingbo |
DE |
Yes |
Maybe |
| Joe Flacco |
QB |
No |
No |
| Sam Ehlinger |
QB |
No |
Maybe |
| Ashton Dulin |
WR |
No |
Yes |
| Trey Sermon |
RB |
No |
Maybe |
| Taven Bryan |
DT |
No |
Maybe |
Colts Skill Players actually look like a pretty solid unit. Jonathan Taylor was 4th in the league in rushing yards, and each of the Colts’ top receivers had over 800 receiving yards (2nd time in franchise history this has happened). The receiving group complements each other well. Alec Pierce finally emerged as the deep threat he was touted as in college, Josh Downs proved that he can be a threat all over the field, and Pittman showed his hands are still elite, having just one drop the entire season despite playing through injury. There are no world-beating receivers, but the group’s floor is higher than most and capable of doing some real damage.
Young Offensive Line Talent shows promise for the future. Will Fries (RG) had a breakout stretch before being injured, Bernhard Raimann (LT) is about to get paid as a franchise tackle, and the two rookies, Goncalves (T) and Bortolini ©, looked good enough that they could take over starting positions next year. Ryan Kelly © and Quenton Nelson (LG) have been the staples of this line for a long time, but the new talent is starting to come into their own.
Young Players on the Defense are stepping up and filling out the roster. Nick Cross (S) has developed into a capable strong safety, Dayo Odeyingbo (DE) just led the team in pressures, rookie Jaylon Carlies (LB) showed out in coverage, and our young CBs Jaylon Jones and Samuel Womack III (claimed from 49ers) are punching far above their weight class. It’s a solid young corp that, though lacking in stars currently, will be exciting to watch continue to develop.
All Picks Owned, No Bad Contracts. The future is flexible for the Colts. They don’t traditionally do a ton of restructuring, void years, or other methods of cap mortgaging, and the team owns all of its own picks. This conservative approach has often been a source of criticism for the current front office, but whatever comes next, it means changes can be made quickly and the franchise is free to move in whatever direction it likes.
Defensive Stars are Aging or One-Dimensional. DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart (DT) are both stalwarts on the defensive li…
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