INDIANAPOLIS — One of the best offensive linemen in the history of the Indianapolis-era Colts has decided to call it a career.
Ryan Kelly is retiring from the NFL.
Kelly, who served as the leader of the Indianapolis offensive line for nine seasons, spent one final year with the Vikings in Minnesota, a season derailed by the veteran center suffering three separate concussions in one year.
“10 seasons,” Kelly wrote in a retirement statement posted to his social media accounts. “What an incredible ride it was. I was blessed to be around some of the greatest people this sport has to offer. I always wanted to leave each place better than how I found it and with that I can hang my hat. Forever grateful for my family and brothers! Cheers.”
Kelly, a blue-chip prospect who won two national championships at Alabama, was drafted with the No. 18 pick of the 2016 NFL Draft, a significant investment in the Colts’ efforts to rebuild the offensive line in front of Andrew Luck.
The final first-round pick made by former general manager Ryan Grigson, Kelly became a fixture in the middle for Indianapolis, becoming the fulcrum of a rebuilt offensive line that fully took shape in 2018.
Flanked on the left by Anthony Castonzo at tackle and Quenton Nelson at guard, Kelly teamed with Mark Glowinski at right guard and Braden Smith at right tackle to form one of the NFL’s best offensive lines for four seasons.
Kelly made three consecutive Pro Bowls from 2019 to 2021, then returned to the Pro Bowl in 2023 after Indianapolis rebuilt the line around Kelly, Nelson and Smith following a disastrous season in 2022.
His four Pro Bowls tie him with Ray Donaldson for the fourth-most by any offensive lineman in the Indianapolis era. Nelson has eight and counting, legendary tackle Chris Hinton made six and Jeff Saturday earned Pro Bowl recognition five times.
An excellent communicator who did a good job of getting to the second level in the run game, Kelly’s impact went beyond the field. Kelly, a natural leader, became the team’s representative at the NFL Player’s Association and eventually rose to a vice president there, serving his teammates as representation.
Kelly also went through a deeply personal tragedy during his time in Indianapolis. Kelly and his wife Emma lost their daughter, Mary Kate, in pregnancy, delivering her at 19.5 weeks. The couple had twin boys in 2023, and since Mary Kate’s death have become advocates for organizations dedicated to saving baby’s lives and to helping parents who’ve lost babies.
Kelly also battled concussions throughout his career. The stalwart center suffered three in Indianapolis, including one in 2017 that forced him to be placed on injured reserve, then went through the difficulty of three concussions in Minnesota, where he’d signed a two-year deal to be a linchpin for the Vikings.
With his health to consider, Kelly has decided to walk away, leaving a legacy that is mostly in Indianapolis, even though it’s not where he finished his career.
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: Colts great Ryan Kelly retires: ‘What an incredible ride it was’
Reporting by Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
