Colts to give veteran CB record-setting contract

Chris Ballard has shown a steady track record of retaining homegrown players. This now extends to third contracts. After retaining Grover Stewart, the eighth-year Colts GM has struck a deal with Kenny Moore.

The veteran slot cornerback is re-signing with the Colts, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting a three-year, $30M deal is coming Moore’s way. This will be a record-setting deal for a pure slot corner, at $10M per year. Moore has been one of the NFL’s top slot players in recent years. After angling for a raise, the former UDFA will end up receiving it in free agency. KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reported the sides were talks earlier Tuesday afternoon.

Coming off his Pro Bowl nod, Moore pushed for a new contract in 2022. With two years remaining on the inside cover man’s previous deal, the Colts did not come off their stance. No known talks transpired in 2023, and Moore played out his contract. Despite the slot market having stalled out and Moore going into his age-29 season, he still looks to have done well. Of course, the guarantees here will better illustrate that.

The Colts gave Moore a four-year, $33M deal following his second season, paying him in 2019 due to the CBA allowing undrafted players to re-sign a year early. Like Stewart, Moore rewarded the Colts on this contract; both players brought in during Ballard’s first offseason as GM will be kept on contracts that run into their 30s. Corners in their 30s bring more volatility compared to DTs in the back halves of their careers, but Moore has been Indy’s top cornerback for several years.

Indianapolis ranked third in defensive DVOA in the slot compared to 25th in outside coverage. At 5-foot-9, Moore has made his bones in the slot. Moore’s 13 INTs from the slot position are five more than any other player since 2017 (h/t ESPN’s Ed Werder).

Although this market has dried up in the years since Chris Harris‘ Broncos deal came off the books back in 2020, the Colts are making Moore another commitment. With the team facing big questions at its boundary corner positions — after a year that brought the Stephon Gilmore trade and Isaiah Rodgers gambling ban — Moore will be back to anchor the CB group.