Colts Re-Sign Blake Grupe to Spark Kicker Competition

The Indianapolis Colts saw their kicker Spencer Shrader go down early in the 2025 campaign to a season-ending knee injury against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Colts pivoted to Michael Badgley, but ended up parting ways with him after inconsistencies, especially with extra points.

This led to the Colts getting desperate, as they'd turn to former New Orleans Saints kicker, Blake Grupe.

Grupe didn't just make the most of his opportunity, but was perfect on all fronts, hitting 11/11 field goals and 10/10 extra points.

It was assumed that Indy would stick with Shrader, but instead, they're beginning a kicking competition after signing Grupe to a one-year deal worth up to $1.4 million.

Insider Mike Garafolo was the first to report the news.

The #Colts and K Blake Grupe have agreed to terms on a one-year deal worth up to $1.4 million, per his agent Mike Delle Donne. Grupe was 11-for-11 on field goals in five games after Indy signed him in December. pic.twitter.com/8iXrQ2FgSk
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 8, 2026

It might seem like an unneeded signing after how great Shrader was before the injury. Shrader was a part of five games and hit on 13/14 field goals and 14/14 extra points.

Shrader even knocked through a brilliant 45-yard game-winner in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos to get Indianapolis to 2-0.

Despite this, Shrader's brutal ACL/MCL tear can't be ignored, and after what we saw from Grupe during his five games with Indianapolis, it's the perfect time to make sure the right man for the job emerges.

Grupe's biggest moment for the Colts came during Philip Rivers' first start as Indy's quarterback after getting pulled out of retirement by head coach Shane Steichen against the eventual Super Bowl LX champs, the Seattle Seahawks.

Indianapolis would go on to lose dramatically, 18-16, but Grupe dueled with one of the NFL's premier kickers, Jason Myers, in what was an incredible showing from two excellent aces of the foot.

Grupe nailed a fantastic 60-yarder to give Indianapolis the lead with just 47 seconds left on the clock. This happened to be Grupe's career-best kick. It also happened in arguably the most hostile environment in the NFL, Lumen Field.

CAREER LONG FOR BLAKE GRUPE‼️

📺CBS pic.twitter.com/1oCQukF0tx
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 15, 2025

This is a smart decision to sign Grupe by the Colts, especially considering they had issues with getting the kicker position right before the 2025 season.

Indianapolis tried to end their kicker dilemma by signing Matt Gay in 2023 to a monumental four-year, $22.5 million deal. At the time, this was the biggest contract ever given to a free agent kicker in NFL history.

At first, Gay looked the part, but 2024 saw the former Pro Bowler struggle horribly with kicks of 50 or more yards. Gay finished that year 31/37, with all six of his misses coming from long range.

Next to punters, kickers are the most undervalued spot for any team in the NFL. Indianapolis lost games in 2025 due to inconsistency from Badgley, which played a small part in their colossal collapse after returning from their Week 11 bye.

Grupe is a great story, and he found success with the Colts after the Saints decided to release him on November 25th, 2025

Now, Grupe has another golden opportunity to solidify himself as Indianapolis' main kicker. However, expect this to be a tight competition, as Shrader will come after the gig he only lost due to an injury he couldn't help.

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