A home-grown, fan-favorite Colts player suffered a brutal injury during the final year of his rookie contract

Will Fries suffered a serious lower leg injury 

Fries was down on the field, being attended by trainers for an extended amount of time. And you could tell it was a major injury by how his teammates and coaches on the field had looks of grave concern on their faces. Fries gave the sideline a thumbs-up while he was being carted off, but it looks like it will be a season-ending injury for the fourth-year guard. Head coach Shane Steichen shared after the game that the injury was severe enough that he needed surgery today, so he will stay in Florida and not travel back with the team. 

Fries has been having a fantastic start to the 2024 season. With him playing like one of the best guards in the NFL. And with him doing this during the final year of his rookie contract. It seemed safe to assume a massive contract was in his future for the offseason, whether it was with the Colts or elsewhere. This injury is a massive bump in the road and could derail that altogether, which is truly heartbreaking to think about. The Colts drafted Fries with the 248th pick in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft. His first year as a full-time starter came in 2023. He has put the work in and earned every snap he's taken in his young career. Seeing a seventh-round pick play this well is always incredible, and to see them earn that second contract isn't something we see every day. Fries was not only going to get paid, but he was on the verge of someone paying him like a top-ten guard in the NFL. Hopefully, he can make a full recovery and come back and prove he can still be the level of player we saw to start this year. But after this, I have a hard time seeing the Colts or another NFL team giving him the large contract he earned without a one-year prove-it deal first.