As the 2024 season winds to an end, it's time to begin looking to next season, and how to rebuild this team to become a better contender for 2025. While there are plenty of talented names on the roster, there are some that could be looking at leaving if their play doesn't drastically improve - and even that may not be enough.
The Colts have some serious issues in multiple areas; some of them, like cornerback, aren't necessarily issues of player performance, but of depth. Others, though, have good reason to be nervous.
Ryan Kelly
Currently on injured reserve, the Colts' starting center is the most obvious prediction for someone to leave Indianapolis. He's currently entering the final year of his contract, and he asked for an extension earlier this year... which was denied.
Kelly is getting older, and his time in the NFL overall is likely coming to a close. He's made it clear that he wants to stay and finish his career in Indianapolis, but the amount of money he got in his last contract ($50 million over four years) is difficult to justify now, with Tanor Bortolini having performed well as his replacement.
Kylen Granson
The Colts' tight end group has been a serious problem, but Granson in particular seems unlikely to remain in Indianapolis after the 2024 season ends. He will become an unrestricted free agent, and his lackluster performance this year would make it unlikely that the Colts would fight to keep him.
Granson is hardly the only tight end among the Colts to be underperforming, but Drew Ogletree and Mo Alie-Cox are among the best run blockers in the league; Granson is ranked lower than both and when the tight end room is struggling as much as it is, mediocrity just isn't going to cut it anymore.
Taven Bryan
Bryan's one-year contract is up this season, and it would be a surprise to see him get re-signed again in 2025. He struggled in the 2023 season, and was given another chance in 2024, and he just hasn't been helping the defense at all. In fact, some have argued that he's actively hurting the run defense, which is one of the Colts' biggest vulnerabilities.
It seems impossible that the Colts would keep someone with such subpar performance for another year when the defense has struggled much as it has this season. There are other players on the defense who could be entering free agency - Dayo Odeyingbo, Grant Stuard, and E.J. Speed, for example - but all three have played better than Bryan has and would be worth fighting for, whereas Colts fans would likely be thrilled to see the end of Bryan in Indianapolis.
Joe Flacco
It may be the most obvious pick, but it's still true; Flacco will be a free agent, and he's pushing 40. Despite a miraculous comeback performance in the 2023 season, his age simply doesn't allow him to continue on as a starter - not in Indianapolis or likely anywhere else.
The question here is more whether or not Flacco decides to retire. He could still be valuable as QB2, helping to continue developing Anthony Richardson from the sideline through his own leadership and experience, but as a player, his abilities are simply not good enough to elevate this struggling offense.