With Indianapolis Colts’ center Ryan Kelly set to be a free agent this offseason, what could his next contract end up looking like?
Pro Football Focus has recently put together a projection for Kelly and the other top 100 free agents this offseason.
According to PFF, they are projecting that Kelly lands a two-year deal with $19 million. This includes $8 million guaranteed.
If Kelly’s actual contract does land in this ballpark, his average annual contract value of $9.5 million would still make him the seventh highest-paid center in 2025–although overall, it’s less years and far less guaranteed money compared to the top earners.
While, of course, things can change, it does seem like Kelly’s time with the Colts has come to an end. Any sort of potential extension talks over the last year never materialized, and already on the roster seems to be Kelly’s replacement in Tanor Bortolini, who held is own when called upon last year.
Kelly appeared in 10 games this past season, missing time with a neck injury and then on injured reserve with a knee injury.
As he does, Kelly provided a steady presence in the middle of the offensive line, ranking 10th among centers in ESPN’s pass-block win rate metric, while in the run game, Jonathan Taylor averaged 5.0 yards per rush when running to the direct right or left of the center this season, according to PFF’s metrics.
For a Colts team that has a lot of needs to address, that cap space may end going towards another position group.
The Colts rank 18th in cap space at the moment with just over $28 million, although they have the means to create a lot more room.
