The Indianapolis Colts have signed a homegrown talent in kicker Spencer Shrader, who bounced around with several teams in 2024 before signing a contract with the Colts today.
Shrader is originally from Indianapolis, and graduated from the University of Notre Dame, where he set a school record with a 54-yard field goal. He was not selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, and signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent, only to ultimately be released in October. He then signed with the New York Jets, and was then traded to Kansas City to play for the Chiefs after Harrison Butker was injured.
His time with the Chiefs was initially promising, as he notably hit a game-winning field goal against the Carolina Panthers. However, he injured his hamstring shortly after that, and was placed on injured reserve. Ahead of free agency, the Chiefs chose to release Shrader, who the Colts ended up signing.
CHIEFS WIN ON A LAST-SECOND FIELD GOAL!#KCvsCAR pic.twitter.com/OHMwGqbm4G
— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2024
Though Shrader didn't end up sticking with any one particular team in 2024, he played well. He was perfect on both field goals (5-of-5) and extra points (9-of-9).
Shrader's signing is a bit surprising, considering the Colts have a reliable kicker in Matt Gay. However, he struggled last season with consistency, seemingly due to a previous injury. The Colts have never been able to replicate the success they had with Adam Vinatieri, and the message to Gay is clear - his job isn't guaranteed.
Gay's percentage last year was 83.8%, which was the 24th best percentage in the NFL among kickers with at least 10 attempts. Still, the need for a kicker was one that not many had considering for the Colts to address in free agency, making Shrader's signing a bit of a surprise. Gay is the fourth-highest-paid kicker in the NFL, though, and it may be as simple as that: the product Gay is delivering isn't worth the money the Colts are paying.
The message the Colts seem to be sending to their roster is that no one's job is safe. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as drastic changes are needed, not just on the roster but within the overall team culture, if the Colts want to have a prayer of being real playoff contenders.