Kenny Moore II is staying home.

The 28-year-old agreed to a three-year, $30 million deal with the Colts on Tuesday. The contract will make him the highest-paid slot cornerback in NFL history, a league source confirmed to The Athletic. After a lackluster and injury-riddled season in 2022, Moore bounced back with one of the best years of his career in 2023. His strong play, which featured a pair of pick-sixes in a Week 9 win at Carolina, made it a no-brainer for the Colts to retain him in free agency.

It also helps that Moore never wanted to leave. In his exit interview at the end of the season, Moore expressed his desire to be brought back, and the feeling was mutual from GM Chris Ballard and the rest of the front office.

“I obviously want to be here,” Moore said in January. “That’s been obvious throughout my entire career. How much I put into my craft, how much I put into my teammates, nothing has been a façade with (No.) 23. So, whenever I’m throwing up the hearts, whenever I’m throwing up my hands or all of the good plays — I’m doing that for this city.”

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How he fits

Moore doesn’t necessarily fill a hole for the Colts since he was an in-house free agent, but keeping him in town ensures a huge hole didn’t develop in his absence. The Colts’ cornerback corps was arguably their weakest unit last season, and they would’ve taken a significant step back without Moore. Moore was the elder statesman in 2023, and he actually entered the season having started more games in his career than every other cornerback on the roster combined.

Linebacker and team captain Zaire Franklin praised Moore, also a team captain, for his increased mentorship while still raising his own level of play.

“I couldn’t put any more flowers on Kenny’s desk if I wanted to,” Franklin said in January. “Just his leadership, for me, (he’s) a guy that I follow in this building. To be honest, I tell him all of the time: I don’t know how it works without him. Just the role that he played in that DB room with all of those young DBs, he was the guiding light for those guys. The main communicator and playmaker. … He means a ton to me. He means a ton to that locker room, too.”

Kenny Moore aligned in the slot on 62.7% of his defensive snaps last season, allowing the 3rd-fewest receptions over expected from such an alignment (-4.5).#ForTheShoe https://t.co/N7UcOlojuA pic.twitter.com/YBEQ0XB1HS

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 12, 2024

2024 impact

Moore’s new deal shores up the slot and allows the Colts to focus on bringing in another outside cornerback to pair with 2023 second-round pick JuJu Brents.

The Colts’ challenge this season is to build on their feel-good campaign in 2023. Last year, Indianapolis fell one win short of its first playoff berth since 2020 and first AFC South title since 2014 in what many assumed would be a rebuilding year in coach Shane Steichen’s first season.

Moore was an integral part of the Colts’ bounce-back campaign amid a myriad of key absences, most notably QB Anthony Richardson, who sustained a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 5. Moore recorded three interceptions, six passes defensed, 1.5 sacks and a career-high eight tackles for loss to help Indianapolis remain in the hunt.

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History

Moore staged a failed hold-in at training camp before the 2022 season in hopes of landing a lucrative contract extension. Two years later, he finally got his payday, and his record-setting deal simply adds to his inspiring journey.

The Colts claimed Moore, who starred at Division II Valdosta State, off waivers in 2017, and he’s clawed his way up the depth chart through his first seven seasons with the franchise. He reached his peak with a Pro Bowl selection in 2021 and remains in his prime.

“I think I’m still growing honestly,” Moore said at the end of the season. “I got a long way to go. The moment I walked into this locker room I was a special teams player — timid, frightened and a little scared to express myself. Honestly, just being here now and everything that I’ve endured, I like how far I’ve come. I think it’s all been worth it. My bad days, my good days, it’s all been worth it for the better.”

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Cap update

It’s tough to know where exactly the Colts are financially without seeing all of the contract details, but they entered free agency with about $49.2 million in cap space and have been active spenders in retaining their own talent. They started by signing linebacker Zaire Franklin and wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. to extensions before bringing back defensive linemen Grover Stewart and Tyquan Lewis as well as punter Rigoberto Sanchez.

While the Colts have been relatively busy, they should still have plenty of money to spend if they so choose.

Outlook

Retaining Moore doesn’t move the needle for Indianapolis in 2024. It simply keeps it where it’s at. The key for the Colts to take a step forward is who they bring in this offseason. So far, Indianapolis is one of five teams that hasn’t added a free agent from another franchise.

(Photo of Kenny Moore II: Cooper Neill / Getty Images)