INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts are bringing back a familiar face to replace starting kicker Spencer Shrader, who suffered a season-ending torn ACL and MCL in his right knee Sunday on a late hit by Raiders safety Tristin McCollum.
Indianapolis is signing Michael Badgley, multiple sources told IndyStar on Tuesday, after trying out eight kickers on Tuesday morning.
The Colts have plenty of history with Badgley, a likely factor in bringing back a veteran kicker who made 18 of 21 field goals and all 39 extra points to solidify the kicking position for the Colts after an injury to Rodrigo Blankenship at the beginning of the 2021 season.
Badgley’s first opportunity in the NFL was a lot like Shrader’s—serving as an apprentice to a much more experienced kicker as an undrafted free agent in Indianapolis. Badgley was Adam Vinatieri’s understudy during training camp in 2018, parlaying that gig into a job with the Chargers.
An older version of Badgley, now 30, is coming off a torn hamstring that cost him the entire 2024 season with Detroit, the team he made his own after his successful season in Indianapolis.
But he is no stranger to the substitute role, and he has been a reliable NFL kicker since that stint in Indianapolis, albeit a kicker with limited range.
Badgley has made 85.7% of his field goals in the NFL since the 2021 season. Over the same time frame, he has attempted just four regular-season kicks of 50 yards or longer since then, making two of them. Badgley did bury a 54-yard game-winner to lift the Lions over Tampa Bay in the 2023 playoffs.
Indianapolis has focused on developing young kickers since special teams coordinator Brian Mason arrived, but in an emergency situation, the Colts opted for Badgley’s experience, prioritizing a veteran over a younger, unproven kicker who might not be able to be consistent right away.
“Really, the biggest person that will make the adjustment will be the holder,” Mason said. “Rigo, it’s really important for the holder — like you would in golf, be the caddy — to make sure he is mentally and physically ready, he knows when the kicker’s ready for the snap. … Rigo will be the one to make the adjustment.”
The holder is responsible not only for knowing the timing, but also the kicker’s preferences: the spot he wants the ball, whether he wants a forward or backward lean, etc.
Sanchez’s history with Badgley should help that process.
Indianapolis needs stability at the kicking position after the loss of Shrader, who leads the NFL in scoring with 53 points after making 13 of 14 field goals and all 14 extra points to start his first full season as an NFL team’s primary kicker.
“We’re just really gutted for Spencer Shrader,” Mason said. “I love the kid, I recruited him to the University of Notre Dame, so I have an interesting path with him to already have known him and his family.”
Mason initially brought in Shrader as a developmental prospect behind veteran kicker Matt Gay in 2023.
The Notre Dame product had a big leg, the mental makeup the Colts were trying to find and Shrader proved his potential by kicking in games for three teams as a rookie in 2024, including the season opener in Indianapolis.
When Shrader became available this offseason, the Colts pounced, releasing Gay with two years left on his contract.
Five games into the season, it looked like Shrader was proving Indianapolis right.
“He’d continued to improve, and he was really kicking at another level,” Mason said. “His confidence was high. He’d changed his mechanics from a three-step to a two-step, was really mastering his mental routine and was really continuing to get better and better.”
Shrader will not be able to return until next season, leaving the Colts relying on the leg of Badgley until he has a chance to recover.
“I know, with his positive attitude, with the work ethic and the improvements he’s already made to be a really good kicker he’s turned into being, he’ll attack this rehab,” Mason said. “We look forward to getting him back when we possibly can. Can’t say enough positive things about how he handled everything.”
Joel A. Erickson covers the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter
