Indianapolis Colts: 15 greatest receivers in franchise history

• Super Bowl XLI Champion w/Colts
• 139 career receptions w/Colts
• 1,916 career receiving yards w/Colts
• 15 career touchdown receptions w/Colts

Brandon Stokley was a former fourth-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in the 1999 NFL Draft out of Southwestern Louisiana. In his second season in the NFL, Stokley would play a minor role in Baltimore’s first Super Bowl Championship to date, beating the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV.

Stokley would spend his first four years in the NFL with Baltimore, but would have some of his best seasons playing for the Colts from 2003 to 2006. This included the best NFL season of his career.

In 2004, Stokley set career-best marks in receptions with 68, receiving yards with 1,077 and receiving touchdowns with 10. He had more receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, and almost as many receptions, in his three other combined seasons with the Colts.

So it’s pretty obvious that Stokley benefited from having Peyton Manning slinging him the pigskin from 2003 to 2006 in Indianapolis. Overall, Stokley amassed 139 receptions for 1,916 yards and 15 touchdown catches in his four seasons with the Colts. Sadly, outside of the terrific 2004 campaign, it was a tenure largely marred by injury.

Stokley did play four games with the Colts in 2006, capped off by beating the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI. However, he would be released by the team in March 2007 roughly midway through his 15-year NFL career.

Stokley signed with the Denver Broncos, where he spent the next three seasons. After the 2009 campaign, he would spend the 2010 season with the Seattle Seahawks and then appeared in two games for New York Giants in 2011.

Stokley would be reunited with Manning in Denver in 2012, putting up 45 receptions for 544 yards and five touchdowns. He would return to Baltimore in 2013 to play six more games before finally retiring at the age of 37.

Overall, Stokley is best remembered for being a tertiary receiving target for Manning both in Indianapolis and later in Denver for a season. He may have put up better numbers over two stints with Denver, but Stokley makes this top-15 due in large part to his terrific 2004 season as a Colts receiver.