The Colts are poised to have a serious training camp competition this summer.
The franchise signed placekicker Blake Grupe, who joined the team midseason and finished 21-for-21 combined on field goals and extra points, to a one-year deal, multiple league sources confirmed to IndyStar on Sunday.
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Grupe was signed last season ahead of Indianapolis’ Week 14 matchup in Jacksonville — after the Colts waived its first midseason stand-in Michael Badgley — and nailed all 11 of his field goals, including a perfect 4-for-4 on kicks from 50-plus and a franchise-long 60-yarder for a late-game lead in Seattle.
The move gives the team two legitimate options at placekicker on the roster, the type of good problem the franchise hasn’t typically had of late. After years of sifting through numerous options at placekicker, the Colts made a decisive move last offseason, parting ways with veteran Matt Gay two years into a four-year deal as general manager Chris Ballard put his trust in Spencer Shrader, who made his career debut in 2024 with the Colts and kicked for three different teams around the league before making his way back to Indianapolis.
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NFL free agency: 18 targets for the Colts
CINCINNATI, OHIO – NOVEMBER 03: Myles Murphy #99 and Trey Hendrickson #91 celebrate after Hendrickson’s sack in the fourth quarter of a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Paycor Stadium on November 03, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
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NFL free agency: 18 targets for the Colts
CINCINNATI, OHIO – NOVEMBER 03: Myles Murphy #99 and Trey Hendrickson #91 celebrate after Hendrickson’s sack in the fourth quarter of a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Paycor Stadium on November 03, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
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NFL free agency: 18 targets for the Colts
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 23: Jaelan Phillips #50 of the Philadelphia Eagles anticipates a play during a game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on November 23, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
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NFL free agency: 18 targets for the Colts
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – DECEMBER 14: Odafe Oweh #98 of the Los Angeles Chargers sacks Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs during the third quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on December 14, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
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NFL free agency: 18 targets for the Colts
Sep 25, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe (53) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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NFL free agency: 18 targets for the Colts
Nov 30, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb (2) leaves the field following a game against the New Orleans Saints at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images
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NFL free agency: 18 targets for the Colts
Oct 13, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) is sacked by. Buffalo Bills defensive end Joey Bosa (97) during the first half of a game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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NFL free agency: 18 targets for the Colts
Oct 23, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers outside linebacker Khalil MacK (52) is introduced for the game against the Minnesota Vikings at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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NFL free agency: 18 targets for the Colts
Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker (7) against the Arizona Cardinals
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NFL free agency: 18 targets for the Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd (0) enters the stadium before an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]
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NFL free agency: 18 targets for the Colts
Nakobe Dean #17, Philadelphia Eagles (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
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NFL free agency: 18 targets for the Colts
Dec 28, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns linebacker Devin Bush (30) reacts after Pittsburgh Steelers miss a field goal in the third quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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NFL free agency: 18 targets for the Colts
Aug 9, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal (54) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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NFL free agency: 18 targets for the Colts
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) runs the ball during the second half against the Minnesota Vikings at Lumen Field.
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NFL free agency: 18 targets for the Colts
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco (15) draws back to pass Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
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NFL free agency: 18 targets for the Colts
Buffalo Bills quarterback Mitchell Trubisky (11) throws a pass in the second quarter against the New York Giants at Highmark Stadium. Trubisky had a stronger second quarter than he did in the first quarter.
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NFL free agency: 18 targets for the Colts
Dec 10, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson (3) reacts following the victory against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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NFL free agency: 18 targets for the Colts
Nov 16, 2025; Madrid, Spain; Miami Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb (2) tackles Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) in the second quarter during the 2025 NFL Madrid Game at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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NFL free agency: 18 targets for the Colts
Sep 14, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Tyrod Taylor (2) drops back to pass to pass against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Shrader, who boasts an uber-strong leg, started the 2025 season with the Colts 13-for-14 on field goals, including a long of 52 yards, but a late hit by Raiders safety Tristin McCollum in Week 5 tore the ACL and MCL in the 26-year-old’s right knee, ending his season and putting him on a long road to recovery that’s rare for kickers to face. The Colts immediately brought in Badgley, who went 10-for-11 on field goals but missed three PATs in seven games, leading to his exit, following a narrow 20-16 home loss to the Texans where the Colts were forced to attempt to score a touchdown late in part due to Badgley’s earlier missed extra point.
At the time of his signing, Grupe had missed a league-high eight kicks in 2025 for the Saints before he was waived following Week 12, but he was brought in to link back up with his college special teams coach Brian Mason, the Colts special teams coordinator, and immediately found a rhythm with one of the best special teams units in the league.
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“With how everything went down, down there, you maybe question yourself a little bit,” Grupe told IndyStar of New Orleans following the end of the season. “To come here and all of a sudden everything’s right down the middle, makes you thankful for this team, these coaches, (holder and punter) Rigo (Blankenship) and (longsnapper) Luke (Rhodes).”
According to a league source, the Colts plan to retain Shrader this offseason heading into training camp, as he enters the final season of his two-year deal signed last spring — which includes a $1.2 million base salary that isn’t guaranteed.
“It’s kind of a rare injury, but there are guys who’ve been through it,” Shrader told IndyStar in January. “They all offer advice but the interesting thing about injury, kind of the cool thing, too, is it’s all personalized to you. … It’s about really competing with yourself every day to see how fast you can get back, ignoring some of the traditional timetables.”
During locker clean-out day, Shrader told IndyStar he had begun lifting weights again just before the end of the season, he hoped to begin running before the end of January and return to kicking by the start of March.
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Ahead of the Colts’ clear decision in favor of Shrader a year ago, the team had cycled through several kickers since the franchise’s decade-plus run with Hall of Famer Adam Vinatieri. The Colts’ longtime incumbent at the position missed the final four games of the 2019 season due to a left knee injury, giving then-rookie Chase McLaughlin his third different home that season. McLaughlin was waived after a training camp battle ahead of the start of the 2020 season in favor of rookie undrafted free agent signing Rodrigo Blankenship.
Blankenship missed all but five games in 2021 due to a hip injury, an opportunity that saw the Colts lean on Badgley for the first time, and then McLaughlin finished the final 16 games of the 2022 season after Blankenship was waived following a crucial Week 1 miss. The Colts signed Matt Gay in the spring of 2023 to a four-year deal, expecting him to be the team’s placekicker of the future, but 14 misses (albeit 11 of them from 50 yards or further) over his 33 games pushed the Indianapolis front office to look to Shrader, who’d kicked the first game of the 2024 season with Gay out due to injury.
Even as they cycled through three kickers in all in 2025, the Colts finished with the second-best field goal percentage in the league (.944), with Shrader, Badgley and Grupe combining to go 34-for-36 with the 10th-most attempts across the league and the fifth-most makes.
Now, after cycling through seven kickers in as many seasons, the Colts will have a major decision to make — the loser of which would likely be swept up for another job somewhere else around the league before too long.
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“It’s no secret and no accident that the Colts were 94% on field goals this year,” Grupe said.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Blake Grupe resigns with Colts, will battle Spencer Shrader for kicker job