As the Colts had entered the 2024 season in better shape up front, they face 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 just yet. Kelly has been expected to hit free agency for the first time, but the Colts are not merely going to let their longtime center test the market without entering discussions as well.
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 garner interest from center-needy teams soon. The Colts have until 11am 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 indicating enthusiasm for testing the market points to the Colts being unlikely to re-sign him before that point, but that did not stop them last year. Ballard received criticism for his inward-focused offseason plan, but he was able to re-sign defensive pillars Kenny Moore and Grover Stewart after they had begun the legal tampering period unsigned. A third Kelly contract would still stand to be in play even if he follows suit 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 $14.75MM base salary and…