In the offseason, the Indianapolis Colts made a few drastic moves on special teams. First, they canned kicker Matt Gay and replaced him with Spencer Shrader. That was a bit of a shocking decision; in 2023, he signed a massive four-year, $22.5 million contract, the largest free-agent contract for a kicker in NFL history.
Yet after being injured in 2023, Gay never quite rebounded. He struggled a lot through 2024, and yet still managed to land another ridiculous contract with the Washington Commanders (one they may be regretting now). Shrader, meanwhile, seemed to have a promising future ahead of him.
Originally from Indianapolis, Shrader graduated from the University of Notre Dame, where he set a school record with a 54-yard field goal. He signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent, only to ultimately be released in October, and then bounced around in the league a bit before landing with the Kansas City Chiefs.
He subbed in for Harrison Butker and notably hit a game-winning field goal, only to injure his hamstring shortly after that, and was placed on injured reserve. The Chiefs ultimately chose to release Shrader after the season ended, and he ended up in Indianapolis again.
Unfortunately, Shrader's Indianapolis career barely even started before it got brought to a screeching halt, and the person responsible is now going to have to pay up.
McCollum's hit on Colts' kicker results in a $5k+ fine
During the Colts' Week 5 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Shrader attempted a field goal, and Raiders safety Tristin McCollumn jumped offsides, accidentally hitting Shrader's leg. It was clearly unintentional and was nothing more than an accident, but the damage was done nonetheless; Shrader suffered both ACL and MCL injuries and is out for the season.
This was a huge blow to the Colts; Shrader had just been named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month, so he had been doing well before getting hurt. He was replaced by Michael Badgley, but in the meantime, the NFL is taking action.
James Boyd, who covers the Colts for The Athletic, reported that McCollum has been fined $5,722 for the hit on Shrader.
#Raiders S Tristin McCollum was fined $5,722 for running into #Colts K Spencer Shrader on a PAT in the 2Q of Indy’s 40-6 victory over Las Vegas in Week 5.
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) October 11, 2025
Shrader, the reigning AFC Special Teams Player of the Month, suffered season-ending ACL and MCL injuries on the play. pic.twitter.com/joRWWw030G
McCollum was flagged with roughing the kicker on the play, and the fine was a bit unexpected, since - as mentioned - it was clearly an accident. The NFL must have agreed, though, as he could have received a much bigger fine than what he was given.
In the meantime, the Colts will need to rely on Badgely, who, so far, has performed well. He is reliable from shorter distances, but has struggled over 50 yards.
Colts special teams coordinator Brian Mason is helping Shrader recover so that he can hopefully have another great season in 2026.
“We're just really gutted for Spencer Shrader,” Mason said. “I love the kid. I recruited him to the University of Notre Dame, so I had an interesting path with him to already have known him and his family. Obviously, he then came to us as an undrafted free agent last year, and was with us in the offseason and the start of the season, did an unbelievable job.
"I know with his positive attitude, with the work ethic and everything he already put in to make the improvements to be the really good kicker that he's really turned into being, that he'll be able to attack this rehab. We look forward to getting him back when we possibly can.”