Colts’ Blake Grupe Leading K Competition

A year later, Shrader’s job is in jeopardy. Blake Grupe has a “firm lead” in his summer battle with Shrader, according to Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star.

Shrader got off to a dream start last season, but it came to a halt when he tore his ACL and MCL on a Week 5 PAT attempt in a 40-6 thrashing of the Raiders. Suddenly down a kicker who helped them to a 4-1 start, the Colts reunited with Michael Badgley to replace Shrader.

Badgley, who kicked for the Colts for most of the 2021 season, made 10 of 11 field goals in his return. However, after Badgley failed to convert three of his 21 PATs (including a costly miss against the Texans in Week 13), the Colts waived him.

Stuck searching for their third kicker of the year in early December, the Colts added Grupe on a practice squad deal. Grupe was available as a result of a rough start to the season in New Orleans. He had been the Saints’ kicker since 2023, but they cut him after he made just 18 of 26 field goals in 11 games in ’25. Grupe was much better in Indianapolis, where he connected on all 11 field goals and all 10 extra points.

While Grupe was on track to become a free agent in March, he re-signed with the Colts on a one-year, $1.2MM pact a few days before the market opened. He has since carried his late-season success into the summer and outperformed Shrader, whose time with the Colts may be running out.

Shrader first signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2024, but with Matt Gay on their roster, he only kicked in one game. After the Colts cut Shrader in October, he went on to have short stints with the Jets and Chiefs. The Notre Dame alum then went back to Indianapolis in March 2025 on a two-year, $2.15MM deal. It worked out well until Shrader’s knee injury, but he is now at risk of becoming a cap casualty. Cutting the 27-year-old would save the Colts $1.2MM and leave them with just $175K in dead money.