Stampede Blue
The Colts’ longtime center will likely have his fair share of free agency suitors—even if it’s no longer Indianapolis.
According to PFF, Indianapolis Colts’ longtime veteran center Ryan Kelly is among their most underrated players positionally in the pending 2025 NFL free agent class:
Center: Ryan Kelly
Overall Free-Agent Rank: 81
As is often the case, age and injury history are the only things that should really make teams second-guess signing center Ryan Kelly.
Kelly played more than 600 snaps in each of his past seven seasons but did miss at least one game in four of his past five campaigns. His absence visibly impacted the Colts‘ offensive line, which was among the best when fully healthy.
Kelly is still among the best pass-blocking centers in the NFL and could solidify the interior of any offensive line. His 73.2 PFF pass-blocking grade over the past three seasons ranks fourth among 28 qualifying centers, while his 2.9% pressure rate allowed also ranks fourth.
The 31-year-old center (and former 2016 first round pick of the Colts) made 10 starts last season for Indianapolis in a contract year. Per PFF, he was their 11th best graded center in 2025, which a +67.0 overall grade. He made 121 career starts for the Colts in 9 seasons.
Kelly prefers to return to the only NFL franchise he’s ever known, but plans to test the free agency waters—as the interest doesn’t necessarily appear to be mutual.
Right now, reading the tea leaves, it appears unlikely that the former NFL All-Pro and 4x Pro Bowl center will return to the Colts given that his heir apparent, 2024 4th round pick Tanor Bortolini, is waiting in the wings and seemingly held his own in limited spot start action as a rookie this past year.
The Colts may look to get younger along their interior offensive line going forward, while also dispersing some of his otherwise large salary cap hit (Kelly had a $14.625M cap hit this past season) elsewhere to address remaining key holes on the roster.
Unfortunately, that means that one of the Colts better offensive linemen in franchise history will likely be looking to find a new home to finish out his career—and presumably with a playoff team that may look to have a veteran with some gas still left in the tank at starting center with a proven Pro Bowl pedigree and a wealth of playing experience.
