INDIANAPOLIS — Colts kicker Spencer Shrader suffered multiple torn ligaments in his kicking leg when Raiders safety Tristin McCollum hit him at the end of an extra point early in Sunday’s win over Las Vegas, a league source confirmed to IndyStar on Monday.
The injury will end Shrader’s season, a source confirmed after ESPN’s Pat McAfee first reported the news on his daily show.
Indianapolis now faces the difficult problem of replacing a kicker midseason.
The Colts bet heavily on Shrader this season, releasing veteran Matt Gay in part because of the team’s belief in the young Notre Dame product Indianapolis first signed as an undrafted free agent in 2024.
Spender Shrader stats
Shrader exceeded expectations. The 26-year-old leads the NFL in scoring with 53 points after the first five weeks, burying 13 of 14 field goals and all 14 extra points to solidify a Colts kicking position that has been searching for a long-term answer ever since age finally caught up to Adam Vinatieri in 2019.
He still had a long way to go to prove himself, but Shrader had already demonstrated leg strength, accuracy and an ability to bounce back from mistakes.
Offered a second chance at the first game-winning opportunity of his career by a Broncos leverage penalty in Week Two, Shrader bounced back from a missed 60-yarder to beat Denver from 45 yards. Shrader missed his next chance from 50 yards or more in Tennessee, then made up for it by burying a 52-yard field goal in SoFi Stadium against the Rams last week.
Finding a reliable kicker at this point in the season is no easy task. Indianapolis will likely bring in a mix of available veterans and young unknowns to try out this week, unless the Colts have a clear target. Undrafted rookie Maddux Trujillo lost a competition with Shrader in training camp.
Joel A. Erickson covers the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Spencer Shrader injury update: Colts kicker suffered multiple torn ligaments, what we know
Reporting by Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
