Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly reportedly is available for trade and could even be released to save money against the salary cap, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
After a rough season anchoring one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, Kelly would be a cap casualty one way or another. It’s his second season in a row in which he played far under expectations, and Fowler reported that Kelly is available for trade.
Sources with several NFL teams say three-time Pro Bowl center Ryan Kelly is available for a potential trade or release. Kelly signed a four-year, $50 million extension before the 2020 season. With cap hits of $12.4 and $14.6 million in 2023-24, coupled with Indy’s rough outing across the offensive line last year, Kelly’s future in Indy could be tenuous.
It should be no surprise that Kelly is a potential cap casualty for a Colts team that needs to clear some salary-cap space this offseason. The easiest way to do that would be to release quarterback Matt Ryan, but there haven’t been many updates on that front.
In 2021, he allowed the second-most pressures and fifth-most sacks among centers. In 2022, he allowed the sixth-most pressures and third-most sacks among centers. He simply isn’t playing like the center the Colts expect him to (or are paying him to be).
Trading or releasing Kelly would save the Colts roughly $7.9 million against the cap in 2023 and $12.4 million in 2024. The Colts would have to have a viable replacement such as Danny Pinter or a Day 2 draft pick, but the move certainly would save some salary-cap space.
With the legal tampering period beginning Monday afternoon, we may get some more updates on this front sooner rather than later.
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