There are a couple of factors working against the Indianapolis Colts setting new franchise records in 2026. First, the club has a storied history with some of the greatest players of all-time donning the jersey. Many of them put in a lot of years with the Colts, whether it was in Indianapolis or in Baltimore. For instance, it’ll be hard for any quarterback to surpass records set by Peyton Manning.
Making it even more unlikely, the Colts have been in a period of transition in recent years. How many players on this year’s roster were with the team back in 2021? Hint – you can count the number using two hands while still leaving your thumb and middle finger available for snapping.
That’s right. Just eight players have been around for at least five seasons. You might think Luke Rhodes would have a shot at the record for games played by a long snapper. You might even think the 10-year vet already has it. You’d be wrong. Rhodes still has several more years to go before catching Justin Snow.
Indianapolis Colts’ franchise records in danger of being broken in 2026
It’s not easy breaking records on a team that has the success of the Colts. Still, here are three club records that could fall this year, ranked from least to most likely.
Career yards-per-reception – Alec Pierce
Amongst all receivers with at least 100 receptions, Pierce currently stands in third place behind Jimmy Orr and Roger Carr on the franchise’s yards-per-reception list. (We are not counting Bake Turner, who is officially credited with a career yards-per-reception number of 111.
How is that possible, you may ask, when the entire football field is only 100 yards long, and even the end zone only adds an additional ten? You will have to read to the end for the answer. Don’t worry, this article is short.)
Back to Pierce. He enters the 2026 season with a career average of 18.7 yards per reception. Carr is slightly ahead at 18.8, and Orr has a decent lead in first place at 19.3.
Why it could happen: Pierce has been on a tear the last two seasons, soaring past 20 yards per catch. If he were to repeat his 2025 numbers, he would pass Carr but not Orr. But if he can match what he did in 2024, then he will sneak ahead of Orr by a few hundredths of a yard into first place.
Why it may not happen: Pierce’s role is likely to change this year. Without Michael Pittman, he should run a wider range of routes and see a lot more targets. Though he will no doubt continue to be a dangerous deep threat, more intermediate routes mean his total yards-per-catch number should come down from the lofty peaks of the past two seasons.
Career rushing yards – Jonathan Taylor
Lenny Moore. Eric Dickerson. Marshall Faulk, Edgerrin James. Setting a rushing record for the Indianapolis Colts is no small task. You have to climb over some giants – each a Hall of Famer – to get there.
Jonathan Taylor already has the franchise record for rushing touchdowns. He moved past Moore and James last year. His 4.9 yards per carry is currently better than that of any of the Colts' other well-known running backs.
This year, the franchise record for total rushing yards is in his grasp. James currently holds the record. JT is in second place.
Why it could happen: The math is pretty simple. JT is 1,628 yards behind James entering the season. He has a career-best season of over 1,800 yards. Last year, he piled up 1,585 yards and was on pace for even more before the entire offense stalled late in the season. A slight improvement on last year gets him the record.
Why it may not happen: Actually, Colts fans should root against this – at least in 2026. Taylor needs a little more rest during the season to maintain his elite performance into December and beyond.
In a perfect world, Seth McGowan will take some of his snaps, which would reduce JT’s total yards. But I wouldn’t worry too much. With his recent contract extension, barring injury, JT will get the record in 2027 if he comes up short this year.
Pro Bowls by an offensive lineman – Quenton Nelson
Three Colts players have double-digit Pro Bowls on their resumes. Two are iconic quarterbacks – Johnny Unitas and Peyton Manning. The other is Hall of Famer Gino Marchetti. Now, Marchetti did play a little bit of offensive line during his long career, but that wasn’t where he earned all those accolades. That was on defense.
But the Colts did have Hall of Fame offensive tackle Jim Parker make eight Pro Bowls in the late ‘50s and ‘60s. When he was honored last year, Nelson tied that record. One more Pro Bowl gives him the most selections for any offensive lineman in franchise history.
Why it could happen: I mean, are you going to bet against this? Quenton Nelson has been in the league for eight seasons. He has made eight Pro Bowls. You can check my math on this, but I think that means he’s batting a thousand. I think the kid might have a decent shot this year.
There was some thought that Nelson was falling off a bit a few years ago when he failed to be chosen All-Pro in two straight years. He has roared back with consecutive AP2 honors in 2024 and ’25.
Why it may not happen: Injury is the most likely fly in the ointment here. Nelson has been extremely durable, and he is still only 30 years old, but a fluke injury could upset the apple cart. Otherwise, this one seems like a good bet. (But he is not going to catch Parker for First-Team All-Pro designations.
Parker received that honor in each of his eight Pro Bowl seasons. That extraordinary accomplishment puts him on the shortlist for greatest ever. Nelson’s three AP1s and three AP2s are pretty damn impressive on their own.)
And now, the Bake Turner story you have all been waiting for.
In his rookie year, Turner, who performed mostly as a kick returner, caught one pass for 74 yards. However, in an earlier game, he had taken a lateral on a pass caught by another receiver for 37 yards.
Technically, though he did not get credit for a catch, he did get credit for 37 receiving yards. Hence, when the season ended, Bake Turner had one reception and 111 receiving yards. That ought to be good enough to win you a few bar bets.
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