The Minnesota Vikings have finally done it. They have agreed to terms with former Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly on a two-year, $18 million contract. With issues on the offensive line, the Vikings have made a serious move to address it.
Vikings agree to terms with Ryan Kelly
Kelly is about to enter his age 32 season after being the 18th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft out of Alabama. The four-time Pro Bowl center has been a stalwart piece on the Colts’ offensive line since he was drafted.
We spoke to our Colts beat writer Destin Adams about Kelly, who has missed some time over the last few years.
The longest tenured Colt on last years team was Ryan Kelly. The team drafted him in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft and he has been their starter at center when healthy every since. During his nine year career he has started all 121 games of his career in Indianapolis. He’s been named to four pro bowls and been one of the biggest leaders in the Colts locker room.
The Colts saw rookie Tanor Bortolini show great flashes last season which gives them the ability to go cheaper at the position to spend elsewhere. Kelly will give his new team a great leader with a ton of experience on the line. He has struggled with a few injury’s over the years so making sure you have a reliable backup who can play a few games a year would be ideal. But he is a reliable starter who has plenty left in the tank.
Kelly has missed games in all but three years of his career. That could be a major issue for the Vikings moving forward.
2016: 0
2017: 9
2018: 4
2019: 0
2020: 1
2021: 3
2022: 0
2023: 3
2024: 7
It also signals the potential end for Garrett Bradbury, as he is likely the odd man out after being the first-round pick of the Vikings in 2019. The Vikings kept emphasizing that they were going to improve the interior offensive line and they took a potentially big step in doing so.