Colts Still Considering Re-Signing WR T.Y. Hilton
T.Y. Hilton could be back in Indy for an 11th season. According to NFL Network’s James Palmer (via Twitter), the Colts have had discussions with Hilton about returning for the 2022 campaign.
As Palmer cautions, the receiver hasn’t made up his mind about his future. However, GM Chris Ballard believes the wideout still has something left in the tank, and the front office has been in contact with the veteran over the past week. It sounds like a deal for Hilton could be partly contingent on what the Colts do at wide receiver during the early parts of the draft.
We heard last month that Hilton still intended to play next year. The 32-year-old is coming off a forgettable season, with injuries limited the four-time Pro Bowler to just 23 catches, 331 yards, and three touchdowns — all career lows. That’s a far cry from his best work, and it’s worth noting that Hilton hasn’t posted a 1,000-yard season since 2018.
At the moment, Michael Pittman Jr. is the only starting wideout set to return from the 2021 team. Of the remaining options, Parris Campbell has shown the most potential, but injuries have been an issue in each of his three seasons. While more targets are likely for Campbell and pass-catching back Nyheim Hines, the team could still add at the position. The free agent market still includes the likes of Hilton, but also Julio Jones, Jarvis Landry and Will Fuller. As for the draft, Indianapolis doesn’t own a first-round pick as a result of last year’s Carson Wentz trade. Their top selection is presently No. 42, which should still put them within range of some of the second- and third-tier receiver prospects in what is generally viewed as a deep class at the position.
T.Y. Hilton Wants To Continue Playing
Despite the speculation, T.Y. Hilton isn’t thinking about retirement. In recent weeks, the veteran wide receiver informed the Colts that he wants to continue playing, according to GM Chris Ballard. 
“T.Y. can still play,” Ballard said (via Nate Atkins of the Indianapolis Star). “One, he’s about as smart as any player I’ve ever been around. He just knows how to play the game. Even though his skillset isn’t the same as it was three or four years ago, his instincts and his level of understand what’s happening…he knows how to play.”
Hilton is coming off of a forgettable year, one that saw the Colts’ aerial game nosedive in the second half of the season. Injuries limited the four-time Pro Bowler to just 23 catches, 331 yards, and three touchdowns — all career lows. That’s a far cry from his best work, and it’s worth noting that the 32-year-old hasn’t posted a 1,000-yard season since 2018.
Now at the age of 32, Hilton is scheduled to hit the open market later this month. It’s not a given that he’ll stay in Indy, especially if teammate and friend Jack Doyle calls it quits.
“I’m just gonna take some time and talk to Jack and just go through it,” Hilton said in January when asked about the possibility of retirement. “If I want to play one more year, I could play one more year. If not, then I won’t. So [I’ll] just talk to [Doyle], see how he’s feeling and once he makes his decision, I’ll kind of know what I want to do kind of based on him.”
T.Y. Hilton, Jack Doyle Weighing Retirement
Barely 300 receiving yards from 10,000, T.Y. Hilton is not certain to play next season. The longtime Colts wideout is considering walking away after 10 years.
So is Jack Doyle, who has been in Indianapolis for nine seasons. Interestingly, the two plan to discuss their respective plans before making their own decisions. The veteran tight end is signed through 2022; Hilton is set for free agency again.
“I’m just gonna take some time and talk to Jack and just go through it,” Hilton said, via George Bremer of the Herald Bulletin. “If I want to play one more year, I could play one more year. If not, then I won’t. So [I’ll] just talk to him, see how he’s feeling and once he makes his decision, I’ll kind of know what I want to do kind of based on him.
“Whether it’s here or whether it’s somewhere else, I’ll make my decision some time in the offseason.”
Hilton, 32, received strong interest from the Ravens in 2021 but opted to take a slightly lesser offer — one year, $8MM — to come back to the Colts. This is also not the first time Hilton considered walking away. The neck injury he suffered last summer, the latest in a recent run of injuries, sidelined him for the season’s first five weeks. During that time, he contemplated leaving the game.
The former third-round pick returned to action in October, and although his numbers were way down (23 catches, 331 yards, three touchdowns — all career-lows), the longest-tenured Colt still played a key role. While Hilton is 309 yards away from 10,000 — a club currently housing 50 players — the four-time Pro Bowler is behind only Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne in Colts history. The Colts have moved to Michael Pittman Jr. as their top wideout. Regardless of Hilton’s plans, his age, Zach Pascal‘s UFA status and Parris Campbell‘s health history certainly makes wide receiver a need for the Colts this offseason.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Doyle played 58% of the Colts’ offensive snaps this season. Pro Football Focus did not observe a decline in Doyle’s blocking, slotting him as a top-five run-blocker at his position. That obviously proved key for the run-focused Colts, who unleashed Jonathan Taylor to the point he finished with a 552-yard lead for the rushing title. Doyle, 31, is set to make $4.7MM in base salary next season.
Colts’ Tyquan Lewis Done For Year
Colts defensive tackle Tyquan Lewis will miss the rest of the year with a patellar tendon injury. Lewis will be placed on injured reserve later today, opening up a spot on the 53-man roster.
“Really unfortunate, he was really playing well yesterday,” head coach Frank Reich said (Twitter link via Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star).
Lewis suffered the injury on Sunday as the Colts fell to the Titans in overtime. The 6’4″ Ohio State product will finish his year with 2.5 sacks and three tackles for loss across eight games (two starts). It’s a frustrating setback for Lewis, who finally found his footing in the Colts’ rotation last year. In 2020, Lewis registered 24 stops, four sacks, and two passes defensed while appearing in all 16 of the Colts’ games.
Meanwhile, wide receiver T.Y. Hilton (concussion) will be held out of this week’s game against the Jets. Hilton, who has missed much of the season, has six catches for 96 yards in two games this year.
Colts Activate Quenton Nelson From IR
Quenton Nelson will end up spending the minimum number of games during his first IR stay. The Colts activated the All-Pro guard ahead of Sunday night’s game against the 49ers.
A high ankle sprain stopped the three-time All-Pro’s start streak at 51 to start his career. Nelson kept that run going despite having foot surgery during training camp. Although Indianapolis went 2-1 without its top lineman, this certainly qualifies as good news for the team’s prospects in its second nationally televised game in three weeks.
The Colts will not have Braden Smith available, however. Indy’s right tackle will miss a sixth straight game due to foot and thumb injuries. Unlike Nelson, Smith has not spent time on IR this season. Nelson returned to practice earlier this week. Nelson, 25, will continue his track toward what will almost certainly be a record-setting guard extension. The Colts extended fellow 2018 draftees Smith, Darius Leonard and Nyheim Hines earlier this year. Nelson, however, has an extra year remaining on his contract thanks to the fifth-year option.
The Colts made room for Nelson by placing Julian Blackmon on IR. The second-year safety suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon in practice this week. Former second-round pick Josh Jones, who joined the Colts’ practice squad this week, is now on the team’s active roster for its San Francisco trip. So is veteran wideout Keke Coutee. The Colts ruled T.Y. Hilton out earlier on Saturday. Hilton made his return from a neck injury last week, but he is now battling a quad ailment.
Colts Restructure WR T.Y. Hilton’s Contract
The Colts have opened up a chunk of cap space. The team restructured the contract of wide receiver T.Y. Hilton today, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).
The veteran wideout inked a new one-year, $8MM deal with the Colts this past offseason, and today’s move will save the organization around $2.3MM in cap space. Per Joel A. Erickson of the Indy Star (on Twitter), the team converted some of Hilton’s base salary into a signing bonus while adding a void year.
The Colts placed Hilton on IR before Week 1, and he underwent surgery after suffering a neck injury in practice. The 31-year-old returned to the field last weekend, hauling in all four of his targets for 80 yards. Four wide receivers (Parris Campbell, JJ Nelson, Quartney Davis, and Dezmon Patmon) are sitting on injured reserve, so Hilton’s return came at the perfect time.
The veteran hasn’t had a 1,000-yard season since 2018, but he’ll still provide Carson Wentz with a reliable target. Hilton finished the 2020 campaign with 56 receptions for 762 yards and five touchdowns in 15 games.
Colts Activate WR T.Y. Hilton, Place K Rodrigo Blankenship On IR
T.Y. Hilton is set to make his 2021 debut tomorrow against the Texans. The veteran wideout has officially been activated from injured reserve, reports Aaron Wilson (via Twitter). The team also placed kicker Rodrigo Blankenship on IR and promoted kicker Michael Badgley and safety Jordan Lucas from the practice squad.
The Colts placed Hilton on IR before Week 1, and he underwent surgery after suffering a neck injury in practice. The 31-year-old returned to practice earlier this week, an indication that he was close to returning to the field. The veteran hasn’t had a 1,000-yard season since 2018, but he’ll still provide Carson Wentz with a reliable target. Hilton finished the 2020 campaign with 56 receptions for 762 yards and five touchdowns in 15 games.
Blankenship’s hip pain played a major factor in the Colts blowing a 19-point lead Monday night, as the second-year kicker missed an extra point and two field goals in an Indianapolis overtime loss. Ultimately, that injury will land Blankenship on IR, and the team will turn to their recent practice squad acquisition. Badgley is best known for his three-year Chargers stint, as the Money Badger kicked in 34 games for the Bolts from 2018-20. He made 94% of his field goal attempts as a rookie but connected on less than 73% of his tries in 16 games last season. The Titans cut Badgley after he missed a field goal and an extra point in Week 1.
Lucas joined the Colts practice squad in late September. The defensive back opted out of the 2020 campaign, but he previously appeared in 30 games for the Chiefs between the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Colts WR T.Y. Hilton Considered Retirement
Following neck surgery that forced him to sit out the start of the 2021 season, veteran wideout T.Y. Hilton briefly considered hanging up his cleats, according to Zak Keefer of The Athletic on Twitter.
“The first two days out of surgery, I didn’t think I’d be back, man, to be honest with you,” Hilton said (via Akeem Giaspie of the Indianapolis Star). “It was just painful. It was very painful. I hope nobody has to go through that at all. It sucks, especially not being able to play the game that I love after being in training camp so long with my team grinding and being so happy. God is good.”
The receiver acknowledged that he talked with former teammate Andrew Luck, who decided to retire after only seven years in the NFL.
“I talked to Andrew, that was probably the wrong thing to do,” Hilton said with a smirk. “(Luck) just wanted me to be good with it, get back healthy and don’t rush it. … He was a big supporter. My family just continued to check on me, so I was good once I got over those two to three days I started feeling better.”
Hilton has established himself as one of the greatest receivers in Colts history. In nine seasons with the organization, Hilton has hauled in 608 receptions for 9,360 yards and 50 touchdowns. The 31-year-old returned to practice yesterday, starting his 21-day IR-return clock.
The Colts placed Hilton on IR before Week 1, and he underwent surgery after suffering a neck injury in practice. Hilton will be eligible to play Sunday against the Texans. While the Colts could slow-play his return, they are 1-4 and need as many weapons as possible in the near future.
Colts’ T.Y. Hilton Returning To Practice
T.Y. Hilton‘s season debut appears near. The longtime Colts wide receiver is set to return to practice Wednesday. This will start his 21-day IR-return clock.
The Colts placed Hilton on IR before Week 1, and he underwent surgery after suffering a neck injury in practice. Hilton will be eligible to play Sunday against the Texans. While the Colts could slow-play his return, they are 1-4 and need as many weapons as possible in the near future.
After seriously considering signing with the Ravens, Hilton returned to the Colts on a third contract this offseason. He ranks third in franchise history in receiving yards, having passed Hall of Famer Raymond Berry late last season. The Colts have seen second-round pick Michael Pittman Jr. make strides to start his second season, but Hilton coming back would certainly be a boon for their passing attack.
Beyond Pittman, who leads the team by a wide margin with 368 receiving yards, the Colts have seen Zach Pascal emerge as their No. 2 wide receiver. Hilton may slot into that WR2 role, given Pittman’s early-season work. Although Hilton — a five-time 1,000-yard receiver — has not cleared 800 receiving yards in a season since 2018, he should still have some gas in the tank at age 31. Though, injuries have become a concern for the four-time Pro Bowler in recent years. After missing just two games across his first six seasons, Hilton has missed 14 since October 2018.
Colts To Place T.Y. Hilton On IR
T.Y. Hilton recently underwent surgery, according to GM Chris Ballard. As a result, the Colts will be forced to move the wide receiver to injured reserve to start the year (Twitter link via Stephen Holder of the Indy Star).
Hilton suffered an undisclosed upper back/neck injury in practice recently. It’s a frustrating setback with lousy timing, but Ballard says that Hilton is already starting to feel better.
Hilton, of course, is a team icon who currently ranks third on the Colts’ all-time receiving yards list. He has spent his entire career in Indianapolis since being selected in the third round of the 2012 draft. The two sides avoided divorce this year, even after allowing Hilton to reach the open market.
While Hilton is out, the Colts will turn to Michael Pittman, Parris Campbell, and Zach Pascal for offensive firepower. They might be able to get by for now, but they’ll surely miss Hilton’s deep threat potential and experience in the coming weeks.