3 players that have likely played their last game with the Colts
1. Colts won’t be able to re-sign Bobby Okereke
This will be a hard farewell for Indianapolis and the fans but Bobby Okereke isn’t returning to the Colts in 2023. Since arriving in Indianapolis in 2019, Okereke has thrived and has gotten better year after year, making himself one of the best linebackers in the NFL. He has been able to create one of the best linebacker groups in the league with Shaquille Leonard and Zaire Franklin. However, those same things are the reason Okereke has likely played his last game as a Colt.
With him becoming an unrestricted free agent this offseason after two great years as an inside linebacker, Okereke will have tremendous value. He’ll have a ton of suitors in free agency. Indianapolis probably isn’t going to be one of those suitors. In 2023, Indy will welcome a healthy Shaquille Leonard back into the lineup and Zaire Franklin, who is coming off a year where he just set a franchise record for most tackles in a single season, will be the other starting linebacker.
Ultimately, Franklin’s emergence opened the door for Okereke’s departure. It became clear that things were heading in that direction at this season’s trade deadline. It will become official once free agency starts. This is just the tough business part of the NFL manifesting because Okereke has done nothing wrong. He’s loved by the franchise and has balled out in his time as a full-time starter. But from a financial standpoint, it makes sense for Okereke and Indy to move on.
Franklin is under contract for two more seasons and is only due about $6.4 million over the final two years of his contract. Additionally, the Colts aren’t moving Leonard. Franklin, Leonard, and Okereke are all starting linebackers in this league and it’s unlikely that Okereke is going to take a reduced role and reduced salary to stay with the Colts. He’ll be suiting up in a different uniform next season.
