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Stephen Holder, ESPN
WESTFIELD, Ind. — Indianapolis Colts Pro Bowl center Ryan Kelly, who is entering the final season of his contract, said the team has declined to engage in talks about a new deal following his recent overtures about wanting an extension.
Kelly, 31, is the longest tenured Colt, entering his ninth season after being the team’s first-round pick in 2016. But his future is a little less certain given his current contractual status.
“We made it known that we wanted to stay, that we wanted to have an extension, and they didn’t see it as part of their priorities,” Kelly said.
Kelly has started 111 games for the Colts and rebounded with a strong performance last season following an underwhelming 2022 campaign. He made his fourth Pro Bowl and put to rest questions about his long-term intentions by stating he wanted to keep playing for the foreseeable future.
But the Colts, Kelly said, are taking an approach they’ve used often in the past year-plus, declining to enter into an extension before the expiration of a player’s contract. That stance led to a standoff between the Colts and running back Jonathan Taylor last year, which only ended when Taylor was granted an extension four weeks into the regular season.
“From our standpoint, the Colts have basically made it pretty clear that they don’t want to do any early extension,” Kelly said. “It is what it is.”
It’s seemingly a position that applies to players even beyond Kelly. But the team also has some variables to take into consideration regarding Kelly, specifically. His age is certainly one. So is his health. Kelly has a history of concussions, missing three games last season with two separate concussions.
Not to be ignored is the fact that the Colts drafted offensive linemen in the third and fourth rounds this spring, with fourth-round choice Tanor Bortolini from Wisconsin projected as a potential long-term center. The Colts return their entire starting offensive line for 2024, with Kelly joined by All-Pro Quenton Nelson at right guard and emerging left tackle Bernhard Raimann.