Top 10 Indianapolis Colts of All Time

The Indianapolis Colts have a history of having great players…but who is the greatest? Keep reading to find out…

10. Andrew Luck, QB, 2012-2018

There may not be a player in NFL history as unlucky as Andrew Luck. The first overall pick of the 2012 draft could have been a legend. He could still be playing, if not for the injuries that derailed his career. 

Still, Luck achieved a lot over the course of what his a six-year career (he missed the entire 2017 season). He won 53 of 86 starts, only having a losing record once. He was named to four Pro Bowls. And he was named Comeback Player of the Year in 2018, when after coming back from injury, he led the Colts back from a 1-5 record to make the playoffs after winning nine of ten to finish the season. 

He led the league with 40 touchdown passes in 2014, and totalled 171 in his career. His 275.2 passing yards-per-game ranks third in NFL history, and he finished his career with 23,671 total passing yards. 

Had Luck chosen to continue playing after 2018, he would have likely continued putting up big numbers, and may have eventually led the Colts to a Super Bowl. He had a 4-4 playoff record in his career, coming close to the big game but never getting there. We will never know how his career would have ultimately turned out. 

9. Tarik Glenn, LT, 1997-2006

While it can be difficult to measure the overall value of offensive lineman, Tarik Glenn was clearly one of the best, judging off his Approxomite Value score of 107. That makes him the eighth most valuable player in Colts history. And judging from his resume, that may not be clear right away. 

Glenn got better as he aged. He started 154 games across ten seasons, never missing a start. He finally began to be recognized in his final three seasons, when he was named to his only three Pro-Bowls. 

Glenn was a first round draft pick who spent his entire career protecting fellow first-round pick Peyton Manning, which he did effectively. He retired a champion, having just played a key role in the Colts 2007 Super Bowl Victory. 

8. Dwight Freeney, DE, 2002-2012

Freeney was among the Colts most impactful defenders for a decade. He was a Hall-of-Famer who came close to winning multiple Defensive Player of the Year Awards, but ultimately wound up finishing second and third in 2004 and 2005. 

In eleven seasons with the Colts he compiled 107.5 sacks, 112 quarterback hits, and 44 forced fumbles, all of which are second in team history. He also leads the franchise all-time with 113 tackles-for-loss. 

Freeney was part of the Colts defense that helped Peyton Manning win the 2007 Super Bowl, and was also a four-time All-Pro selection. He was an all-time great for Indianapolis. 

7. Bobby Boyd, CB, 1960-1968

No Colts defender has had a greater impact on team success than Bobby Boyd, at least according to AV, which gives Boyd a score of 111. 

The cornerback came away with 57 interceptions and 994 return yards, both of which are franchise records that may never be broken. He ranks 13th all-time in league history, in large part due to playing in a time when quarterbacks simply weren’t as good. 

Boyd also recovered 14 fumbles. He had five defensive scores, four pick-sixes and one returned fumble. 

Boyd was an All-Pro selection in four of his nine seasons, playing for the Baltimore Colts. He led the league with nine interceptions in 1966, which was his best season. 

6. Edgerrin James, RB, 1999-2005

James only spent seven seasons with the Colts, but he is their all-time leading rusher, with 9,226 yards. He also leads the team with 64 total touchdowns and 96.1 yards-per-game, all remarkable numbers for just seven years. 

James spent four more seasons in the NFL after leaving Indianapolis and did enough to warrant inclusion in the Hall-of-Fame. James was a thousand yard rusher seven times, scored 10+ touchdowns four times, and won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1999. 

5. Jeff Saturday, C, 1999-2011

There aren’t many offensive lineman as legendary and well-known as Jeff Saturday. The leader of the Colts o-line for a decade would go on to have a career with ESPN as an analyst, and briefly filled in as interim head coach for the Colts in 2022. 

Saturday’s 145 AV ranks fourth all-time in Colts history. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro, who also played a key role as a leader of the 2007 Super Bowl winning squad. 

A franchise legend, Saturday’s impact shaped the Colts for a decade and was essential to protecting their MVP quarterback Peyton Manning. 

4. Johnny Unitas, QB, 1956-1972

Johnny Unitas was one of the first true stars of football. 

Unitas spent 17 seasons with the Baltimore Colts, where he was key in changing the game of football and making the quarterback the position that it is today. 

Unitas led the league in completions three times, yards four times, and touchdowns four times, among other statistics. He was a three-time MVP, seven-time All-Pro, and ten-time Pro Bowler whose historic career also included a Super Bowl title. 

Unitas finished his career with a record of 118-63-4. He completed 54.6% of his throws, threw for 40,239 yards, and tossed 290 touchdowns. While those numbers might not feel as impressive today, at the time they were among the best anyone had seen. Unitas commanded the NFL for a decade, and impacted the sport by making it into a more pass-heavy league. 

3. Reggie Wayne, WR, 2001-2014 

Reggie Wayne’s career was overshadowed by his fellow receiver Marvin Harrison, and it was only after Harrison’s departure in 2009 that Wayne really got to shine on his own. With that being said, his fourteen year career with the Colts were impressive, and Wayne was a star. 

He caught 1,070 passes (second on the Colts, tenth all-time), amassed 14,345 receiving yards (second on the Colts, tenth all-time), caught 82 touchdowns (second on the Colts, 29th all-time), and averaged 68 yards-per-game (second on the Colts, 38th all-time). 

Statistically, he was a clear top-25 receiver of all-time, and the Colts had an embarrasment of riches with Wayne and Harrison both being thrown to be Peyton Manning. 

Wayne was a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro. He topped 1,000 yards eight times, including a league leading 1,510 in 2007. He is not in the NFL Hall-of-Fame yet, despite his AV of 153, which ranks 60th of all-time and third in Colts history. 

2. Marvin Harrison, WR, 1996-2008

What do you get when you pair one of the best receivers of all-time with one of the best quarterbacks of all-time? You get Marvin Harrison’s insane statline. 

128 touchdowns (fifth in league-history), 1,102 receptions (fifth) 14,580 yards (ninth) and 76.7 yards-per game (eleventh) put Harrison firmly among the ten best receivers of all-time, ranking only behind all-timers such as Jerry Rice and Randy Moss. 

He enjoyed eight All-Pro selections, went to eight Pro-Bowls, won a Super Bowl and is a member of the NFL Hall of Fame. He led the league in receptions twice, receiving yards twice, touchdowns once and yards-per-game twice. There’s no denying the greatness of Marvin Harrison. 

1. Peyton Manning, QB, 1998-2010

Although he may have lost the GOAT battle to Tom Brady, Peyton Manning was still a legendary quarterback. 

In his career, Peyton ranks third in passing touchdowns (539), third in passing yards (71,940), sixth in yards-per-game (270.5) and 14th in passer rating (96.5). He led 45 game winning drives and 34 fourth-quarter comebacks across his 13 year stretch as the Colts starting quarterback, while also leading them to a Super Bowl title in 2007. 

Manning won the NFL MVP Award five times, the most in NFL history, and four of those came with the Colts. He later went on to win a fifth MVP and second Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos after his injury that kept him out in 2011. 

With the Colts, Manning led the league in touchdowns three times, yards twice, completion percentage once, and passer rating three times. He compiled a record of 141-67 in Indianapolis, and after a rough 3-13 rookie campaign, Peyton only had a losing season one more time in his career. 

He was known as a tremendous leader, an offensive genius, and a consensus top-five quarterback of all-time. Peyton Manning was the greatest player in Colts history.