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Indianapolis Colts: Reggie Wayne Will Not Return For 15th Season With Team

By Garrett Hagan

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As reported earlier Friday morning, the Indianapolis Colts announced that they will not resign veteran wide-receiver Reggie Wayne for his 15th season, marking the end of a long, hall-of-fame worthy career with the horseshoe.

We all saw it coming, we all heard the speculation after Wayne’s injury-plagued 2014 campaign, but we didn’t want to accept the reality that Wayne just wasn’t the same player that he used to be.

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Unfortunately, that’s what old age does in the NFL.

Wayne, who turned 36 years old during the course of the season, had arguably his worst season as a Colt.

He had only two touchdowns to go along with 779 yards on 64 receptions, his worst stat line over the past decade (with the exception of 2013, when he appeared in only eight games).

It seems very surreal for Colts fans to not see Wayne on the field next season. But that’s the reality of age in the NFL.

One of the biggest impacts on Wayne’s drop in production this past year was the constant injuries that he battled all throughout the year.

After suffering an elbow injury in Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals, that’s when the injury bug got the best of Wayne. He would later suffer a groin injury against the Tennessee Titans in Week 17.

One can even go as far as to debate whether Wayne’s ACL injury last season might’ve been what marked the end of a dominant era for the Colts’ veteran receiver.

Before the ACL injury, Father Time’s effects on Wayne were nonexistent. The then 35 year-old receiver had one of his best seasons in 2012.

I’ll never forget the infamous “ChuckStrong” game against the Green Bay Packers.

Two weeks prior to that game, the day following the Colts’ Week 3 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, head coach Chuck Pagano had just been diagnosed with leukemia, news that shocked the team and the NFL world.

Wayne, knowing that a fine was possible, decided to defy the rules of the NFL and wear his orange gloves in support for Pagano.

He had one of his best games in a Colts uniform.

Wayne had 13 receptions for 212 yards along with a game-winning touchdown that capped off an 18-point comeback victory.

That game was just one of many performances that Wayne had that Colts fans alike will never forget.

Looking on the other side of things, maybe not retaining Wayne was the right thing for the Colts to do.

After all, he will be turning 37 years old during the course of next season. His production declined rapidly during the course of the season. Indianapolis also has young talent at the wide-receiver position in Donte Moncrief and T.Y. Hilton that is ready to step up and be the team’s No. 1 and No. 2 receivers for the future.

At the end of the day, the NFL is all about business. Reggie Wayne‘s time was coming to an end and he wasn’t the impact player that he once was in previous years.

Whether he decides to play for another team, or retire, as he’s hinted at before, fans can only be thankful for the performances that Wayne gave us and his accomplishments on this team. Ranked at eighth all-time in receiving yards, and seventh all-time in receptions, it’s worth noting that Wayne certainly had a Hall of Fame-worthy career on his resume.

Not a lot of players can say that they caught passes from Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck.

As a Colts fan myself, thank you Reggie. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us fans and this city. One of the best players to ever wear a Colts uniform. You will be greatly missed by many, no. 87.

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