It’s hard to think of Reggie Wayne playing for anyone other than the Indianapolis Colts, but heading into what should be his 15th and final season in the NFL, the Pro Bowler and one time All-Pro is saying there are teams interested, and now it’s a matter of situation and fit.
Wayne received the key to the city of Indianapolis from Mayor Greg Ballard during a luncheon Friday (July 17), but won’t be playing for the Colts anymore. The team decided it won’t re-sign the 36 year old wide receiver, who was a first round pick in the 2001 NFL draft, and played for the Colts next to Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison, making two Super Bowls, winning one of them.
Wayne played 15 games last season, his 14h in the league, dealing with an elbow injury and torn triceps, which he took care of with an operation this offseason. He’s hoping that teams won’t be wary of his age and past injuries, missing nine games in the 2013 season after playing all 16 games in each season from 2002 to 2012.
He’s 7th on the all-time list in receptions, 8th in receiving yards and 22nd in receiving touchdowns. Wayne caught 64 passes last year for 779 yards, his worst full season numbers since 2002, when he started in seven of the 16 games he appeared in. The Colts have moved on with T.Y. Hilton as their leading receiver and Andre Johnson joining in the offseason.
Wayne? He probably can be of some use to a team that picks him up. He’ll be looking for a contender, not just any team, where he can play a part in a playoff run for one final time in his career, planning on retiring at the end of the season after making six Pro Bowls and one All-Pro selections in his career.
Wayne caught passes for 1000 yards eight times in his career, including leading the NFL with 1510 in 2007. He has four seasons with over 100 receptions, peaking in 2011 with 111, the season he made the first-team All-Pro selection.