While it may not be the long-term agreement Colts fans were hoping to see, the team got a big deal done on Friday, extending veteran long snapper Luke Rhodes for an additional four years, according to Colts.com writer JJ Stankevitz. The new deal reportedly makes Rhodes the highest-paid player at his position in the NFL, per ESPN's Stephen Holder.
On an extremely young team, Rhodes is the second-longest tenured player in Indianapolis, trailing only center Ryan Kelly. Since signing with the Colts’ practice squad as an undrafted linebacker midway through his rookie season, Rhodes has played in 101 games after switching positions. Over his seven years in the NFL, Rhodes has been extremely reliable, missing only one game in his career.
This is Rhodes’ second tenure as the league’s highest-paid long snapper. After signing an exclusive rights tender with the Colts for the 2018 season, Rhodes signed a four-year, $4.85M contract extension the next summer to become the top-paid long snapper in the NFL at that time. Rhodes immediately provided a strong return on investment by earning second-team All-Pro honors in 2020 and first-team All-Pro honors in 2021, getting voted to the Pro Bowl that year, as well.
With the new deal, Rhodes avoids playing out his contract year. He’ll now be under contract through the 2027 season with his four-year, $6.47M extension. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the deal has a guaranteed amount of $2.5M with his 2023 base salary (worth $1.2M) now fully guaranteed. He’ll also receive a signing bonus of $1.1M.
With Rhodes locked down, the team can now continue working on other contracts set to expire. Colts fans will be relieved to hear that, but they should also recognize the significance of extending Rhodes for four more years.
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