The Indianapolis Colts will not retain wide receiver Austin Collie, Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star reported on Twitter Friday. Although Collie finished the 2012 season with just one reception for 6 yards after he ruptured a patella tendon and missed the remainder of the season, he was a productive receiver in his first three seasons with the team, tallying 1,839 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Austin Collie released: Options for free agent wide receiver
Collie caught just one pass in 2012 before a ruptured patella tendon ended his season in Week 3.
Scott Boehm
However, his tenure with the team will be best remembered for injuries, which will likely make teams hesitant to bring in the receiver for the 2013 offseason.
Regardless, if the talented receiver can pass a physical, it would seem likely that a team would be willing to take a chance on the 27-year-old, despite his injury struggles. The Denver Broncos, where Collie could join his former quarterback, Peyton Manning, have already been mentioned as a potential landing spot.
With Manning as his quarterback, Collie showed plenty of promise early in his career, racking up 118 receptions for 1,325 and 15 touchdowns in his first two seasons, although the end of his second season was marred by a pair of ugly concussions that sent him to injured reserve.
In his return to the field in 2011, Collie wasn’t particularly productive for the team, finishing with 54 receptions for 514 yards and one touchdown, although all the receivers on the team had a down year with the absence of Manning in the lineup. Most disappointing, though, was the 2012 season that began with a concussion in preseason and ended in Week 3 with an injured knee.
With a return from the knee injury, though, there's reason to believe that a team in need of a slot receiver could take a shot on Collie and that's a market that could have plenty of suitors. Along with the Broncos, the Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins are just a few of the teams that could take a shot.
Collie would likely come as an inexpensive option too, as it’s unlikely that any team would want to offer a huge deal to a player with such an injury history.
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