Pair of Colts Starters Possibly On Trade Block

The Indianapolis Colts could be moving on from two long-time starters.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler is reporting that the Colts are open to trading or cutting their long-time center Ryan Kelly and tight end Mo Alie-Cox, according to sources. 

Some of those teams will stay very active on the phones, feeling out potential suitors. The Colts are believed to be one. Sources with several NFL teams say three-time Pro Bowl center Ryan Kelly is available for a potential trade or release. Kelly signed a four-year, $50 million extension before the 2020 season. With cap hits of $12.4 and $14.6 million in 2023-24, coupled with Indy's rough outing across the offensive line last year, Kelly's future in Indy could be tenuous. Tight end Mo Alie-Cox is another name a few teams have on their lists as potentially available.

Starting with Alie-Cox, the veteran tight end hasn’t played like the three-year/$17.5 million contract he was handed in 2022. Over five seasons, Alie-Cox has recorded 89 catches for 1,125 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Colts felt he could take the reigns as the full-time starter. This didn’t pan out as planned as Alie-Cox would start only 11 of 17 games. In that span, Alie-Cox brought in 19 catches for 189 yards and three touchdowns. 

It was clear that during parts of the season, rookie tight end Jelani Woods was taking snaps away from Alie-Cox. Woods also proved to be more of a weapon in the passing game than Alie-Cox.

Look for Alie-Cox to start getting some attention with his frame and veteran presence. Some teams need a big red zone target for their air strategy. There could also be a coach who sees a turnaround in Alie-Cox’s career that may want to take a chance.

Moving on to Kelly, the three-time Pro Bowler is now available to the rest of the league. For the first time in seven seasons, the Colts may be turning to a new face to command the offensive line. Kelly has struggled with injuries at times and regressed with his performances in recent seasons.

Kelly did play a full 17-game clip in 2022, marking the third full season of his career. But the offensive line allowed a brutal 60 sacks on their quarterbacks, the second worst mark in the league behind the Denver Broncos (63). 

Tack on that moving or cutting Kelly saves the franchise $27 million over the next two seasons and it makes sense that Indy is doing this. This was the opposite of what general manager Chris Ballard and team owner Jim Irsay wanted out of their offensive line, a group that just a year ago was arguably the most feared in the NFL.

Kelly is only 29 years old. It’s hard to remember, but he was so young coming into Indianapolis as a rookie at age 23. He was a top-notch center that has played very well with his entire career put into view. 

Has Kelly seen his best playing days? Or, was last season an outlier due to so many things swirling around the Colts’ complex? It’s hard to tell even with the dust settled.

However, Kelly will demand a decent market. Teams are looking for a leader like him to come in and make an immediate impact on their protection. Kelly may have had a sloppy past campaign with the Colts, but he could have a career resurgence with another team. 

Or, who knows, he may stay and do just that with Shane Steichen in Indy.