As the Colts had entered the 2024 season in better shape up front, they faced major questions about the position group early this offseason. Ryan Kelly and Will Fries are free agents, and Braden Smith left uncertainty about his career after leaving the team to deal with an undisclosed personal matter late last season.
The Colts are not ready to separate from this batch of Quenton Nelson sidekicks. Kelly has been expected to hit free agency for the first time, but the Colts will not merely let their longtime center test the market without entering discussions.
Chris Ballard will speak with Kelly’s camp at the combine and then meet with the player in Indianapolis next week, per the Indianapolis Star’s Joel Erickson. Huddling back up is a bit interesting, as Kelly sought a Colts extension during the 2024 offseason but did not receive one.
One of two players (along with long snapper Luke Rhodes) on Indianapolis’ roster to arrive before Ballard took over as GM (2017), Kelly played out the extension he signed under the current front office boss. While Kelly’s age (32 in May) will impact his market, the Pro Bowl blocker will soon garner interest from center-needy teams. The Colts have until 11 a.m. CT on March 10 to keep Kelly from speaking with other teams, as the franchise tag will not be in play here.
Kelly did miss seven games last season — his most absences since the 2017 slate — to join Fries and Smith among Colts blockers who were regularly unavailable in 2024. The 2016 first-rounder indicated enthusiasm for testing the market, pointing to the Colts’ being unlikely to re-sign him before that point, but that did not stop them last year. Ballard was criticized for his inward-focused offseason plan, but he could re-sign defensive pillars Kenny Moore and Grover Stewart after they had begun the unsigned legal tampering period. A third Kelly contract would still be in play even if he follows suit on March 10.
Fries is interested in staying with the Colts, while Smith is under contract at a big number. The veteran right tackle missed Indy’s final five games last season, landing on the reserve/non-football illness list. But Ballard said (via Erickson) the former second-round pick is ready to resume his career. The GM did point to the sides needing to work through some things; that can regularly be interpreted as combine code for a contract adjustment.
Smith, 29 in March, is tied to a $14.75M base salary and $19.75M cap number in the final year of his contract. A release would save the Colts $16.75M, as they have not touched this contract since authorizing it back in 2021. Of course, Indy would carry a right tackle need in that case as well. Smith has played well when available, but he has been increasingly unavailable.
Third-round Matt Goncalves started eight games (at right and left tackle) as a rookie, and Smith also missed seven games in 2023 due to hip and knee injuries. His missed time over the past two seasons has likely given the Colts pause on moving forward with the contract as is once again.