Five players who were suspended a year ago over violations of the NFL gambling policy have been reinstated.
The league has reinstated wide receiver Quintez Cephus, safety C.J. Moore, defensive lineman Demetrius Taylor, linebacker Rashod Berry and defensive end Shaka Toney. All five were suspended for the entire 2023 season.
Toney is under contract to the Commanders and will return to their roster. The rest of the players are free agents: Cephus, Moore and Taylor were all on the Lions, and the Lions cut all three of them. Berry was with the Colts and was cut as well.
The suspensions were part of a crackdown on gambling last offseason that saw the NFL take some criticism for failing to properly grapple with the new world of sports betting, in which players often use apps on their phones to bet and sometimes don’t realize how restrictive the rules are, such as banning players from betting even on sports other than football if the players are placing the bets while at the team facility.
The NFL has so far avoided any headlines as ugly as those in the NBA, where Jontay Porter was banned for life, or in Major League Baseball, where superstar Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter Ippei Mizuhara is facing federal criminal charges stemming from his apparent gambling addiction. But gambling remains a real concern in the NFL, even as the NFL continues to enjoy the profits generated by the league’s deals with sports books.
During the annual league meeting last month, Colts head coach Shane Steichen said he thought Anthony Richardson would be ready for the start of the offseason program after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery.
That now has turned out to be the case.
“He’s in a really good spot,” Steichen said in his Tuesday press conference. “Had really good discussions that I’ll obviously keep private, but he’s in a really good spot. His shoulder is feeling good. He should be good to go for practices like we talked about earlier. He will be out there throwing, but we’ll limit — we’ll obviously monitor it, make sure we’re smart with that but he’s in a really good place.”
Steichen noted that while Richardson will likely want to push things, the Colts will keep a watchful eye on the quarterback to hold him back if necessary.
“I mean, he’s a competitor,” Steichen said. “I think most guys that are competitors that want to be great are going to want to push themselves. But again, we’re just going to have to monitor it and then we’ll go from there.”
Richardson was able to play just four games as a rookie before being shut down due to injury. But going into his second year, Richardson has the advantage of already knowing the offense at this point in the offseason.
“Yeah, it’s big. It’s not new for him,” Steichen said. “He’s heard the terminology. Going through those meetings right now, going through it, quizzing and he’s all over it. We’ve got a good foundation going into this offseason and going into the season. So, it’s been good.”
Richardson completed 60 percent of his passes for 577 yards with three touchdowns and one interception in 2023, while also rushing for 136 yards with four TDs.
Colts defensive lineman DeForest Bucker signed a two-year extension earlier this week.
Here are the full details of the deal, per a source with knowledge of the terms:
1. Signing bonus: $18 million.
2. 2024 base salary: $2.25 million, fully guaranteed.
3. 2025 offseason roster bonus $10 million, fully guaranteed.
4. 2025 base salary: $13 million, fully guaranteed.
5. 2026 offseason roster bonus: $10 million.
6. 2026 base salary: $13 million. ($10 million of the 2026 compensation package is guaranteed for injury only at signing. It becomes fully guaranteed in 2025.)
Most extensions aren’t truly extensions; the old deal is ripped up and a new deal takes its place. This deal is more like an extension, in that Buckner’s pay for 2024 remains the same as it was — $20.25 million.
The practical guarantee is $53.25 million, since the $10 million injury guarantee for 2026 becomes fully guaranteed in 2025.
The new-money average is $23 million. The total average at signing for the three-year contract is $22.08 million.
Ryan Kelly has spent his entire career in Indianapolis since the Colts made him a first-round pick in 2016. He has seen a lot in eight seasons — two General Managers, three head coaches, 11 starting quarterbacks, 62 wins, 68 losses and two playoff appearances.
He has signed two contracts, and as he enters the final year of his current deal scheduled to make an $11.375 million base salary, Kelly hopes to sign another and end his career where he began it.
“I want to stay here,” Kelly said, via Joel Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. “It’s my ninth year here. It’s the last year of my contract, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want another one.”
Kelly, 30, has started 111 games and made his fourth Pro Bowl in 2023.
He said contract talks have not begun, but Kelly is hopeful after the Colts brought back 11 of 15 free agents this offseason. In addition, middle linebacker Zaire Franklin and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner signed contract extensions.
Could Kelly be next up?
“We’ll see what happens,” Kelly said.
Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. has played with a number of different quarterbacks since joining the Colts, but he is planning on it being a one-man show in 2024.
Pittman said he expects Anthony Richardson to play every game in his return from the right shoulder injury that cut the 2023 first-rounder’s rookie season short. Pittman said he’s “super excited” about that prospect because Richardson’s presence “opens everybody up” because of the multiple ways he threatens defenses.
Pittman added that he feels Richardson is itching to show off those abilities because of how little he got to show of his game last year.
“One thing that I’ve noticed is his confidence is coming back,” Pittman said at a press conference. “Obviously he got hurt and had to watch all the other young QBs . . . I can see it in his eyes that he is ready and he is ready for people to start talking about him too.”
Richardson and running back Jonathan Taylor only played a couple of snaps together in 2023 and Pittman says he thinks the Colts “can have the best RPO game” in the league with both of them in the lineup. If that’s the case and Pittman’s right about Richardson’s availability, the Colts should be pushing for a playoff spot.