All offseason, the Indianapolis Colts have flirted with the idea of bringing T.Y. Hilton back to the team for an 11th year.
However, with the regular season now having started and the team's young receiving corps in place, it appears that door may now be closing.
On Wednesday, longtime Colts beat writer Mike Chappell posted a photo of the Hilton banner that hangs outside Lucas Oil Stadium, which now says, "Thank you for the memories!" across it. That seems to be a strong indication that the free agent wide receiver's time with the Colts has come to an end.
Hilton's contract expired after the 2021 season, and although both he and Colts general manager Chris Ballard have said publicly that a reunion was possible in 2022, the Colts appear to be moving on.
They already had one top receiver in Michael Pittman Jr., who posted his first 1,000-yard season last year and is already off to a hot start in 2022. However, the depth behind him was a mixed bag of inexperience and question marks.
Because of that, bringing in a proven veteran like Hilton was a logical possibility.
"The Ghost" ranks statistically among the best receivers in franchise history and has been the team's main target in the passing game since 2013. However, combining his age and injury history, the Colts had to wonder if it was worth it.
Hilton turns 33 years old during the season and has dealt with injuries over the last four years. He missed 16 games between 2018-21 and hasn't been able to play a full slate of games since 2017.
Since being drafted by the Colts in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft, Hilton has been a star and the team's biggest constant on offense. In 143 games (121 starts), he has 631 receptions for 9,691 yards (15.4 avg.) and 53 touchdowns.
If this is indeed the end for Hilton and the Colts, then he finishes his career with the franchise 309 yards short of becoming just the third player in team history to reach 10,000 career receiving yards, joining Marvin Harrison (14,580) and Reggie Wayne (14,345).
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