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Colts' Blackmon happy to stay 'home' after testing free agency

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Colts' Blackmon happy to stay 'home' after testing free agency


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Safety Julian Blackmon is staying in Indy.

After testing the waters of a tough free agency market, Blackmon decided to return to the Indianapolis Colts with a one-year deal reportedly worth up to $7.7 million.

Blackmon visited the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers looking for a multiyear deal, but ultimately decided that staying with the team that drafted him back in 2020 was the best option.

“This was home, and this is the place where it started and it this is the place I want to finish if I can,” Blackmon said Tuesday after signing his new contract. “Everybody knows how free agency went this year for safeties. We just wanted to be patient with the whole process and we were able to come up with something that everybody was happy with.”

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Blackmon finished the 2023 season with a career-best four interceptions. He was one of the few experienced players in the Colts young secondary, and his impact was especially noticed when he wasn’t on the field.

Blackmon’s season ended early after he injured his shoulder during the Christmas Eve game in Atlanta. For the next two weeks, the Colts struggled in the already-streaky secondary — especially in the season-finale loss to the Texans, which cost the Colts a spot in the playoffs.

Visiting other teams was all a part of the plan for Blackmon, who was entering free agency for the first time since being drafted in the third round out of Utah. He wanted to see what the other teams were about. When he found out, it just brought him right back home to Indiana.

“You see how other teams compete, what makes them winning cultures, and, honestly, that’s what made me want to come back, too, at the same time,” Blackmon said. “You see all these other teams that talk about what they have and how they’re in-house. For me, it was like I feel like we have the same thing in Indy. My heart was always like, ‘OK, well, this has been a great process,’ but, at the same time, I want to continue to build with something that I’ve helped start.’”

Blackmon is one of now seven players who Colts general manager Chris Ballard has offered new contracts or extensions this offseason. Blackmon joined receiver Michael Pittman Jr, Zaire Franklin, Kenny Moore II, Grover Stewart, Rigoberto Sanchez and Tyquan Lewis, all returning to the Horseshoe in 2024.

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Blackmon was especially excited for close friends Pittman and Moore when he heard about their new deals.

“Man, it was awesome,” Blackmon said. “We all have actually been in contact throughout this whole process, especially Kenny and I. We’re FaceTiming like every day talking about, ‘Man, what it would be like for us to come back?’ Even Pitt, he’s like, ‘Hey, when are you signing back? When are you coming back?’ It was just one those things where all of us were able to just stay together and trust that we all wanted to be back and the fact that we made it happen – it couldn’t be more of a blessing. We’re just all excited to be back.”

As far as his shoulder injury recovery, Blackmon said that he’s “feeling really good” as he sat his sights on the Colts first offseason workouts coming in May.



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Indianapolis, IN

Good and bad from Colts’ 2026 NFLPA report card grades

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Good and bad from Colts’ 2026 NFLPA report card grades



What grades did the Indianapolis Colts earn on the 2026 NFLPA report cards?

The NFLPA is no longer able to make their annual report cards public. However, ESPN’s Kayln Kahler was able to obtain a copy of the reports following the 2025 NFL season, and the Indianapolis Colts were again around the middle of the pack.

In these report cards, players rate numerous aspects of the organizations they play for, from ownership to the training facilities and everything in between. According to Kahler, 1,759 players contributed to these grades.

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So, where did the Colts end up this year relative to the rest of the NFL this year?

Overall, the Colts ranked 17th. Below is a breakdown of each individual grade they received.

  • Treatment of Families: B
  • Home Game Field: D
  • Food/Dining Area: B
  • Nutritionist/Dietician: A-
  • Locker Room: C+
  • Training Room: B
  • Training Staff: B+
  • Weight Room: B
  • Strength Coaches: A
  • Position Coaches: B
  • Offensive Coordinator: B
  • Defensive Coordinator: B+
  • Special Teams Coordinator: B+
  • Team Travel: B-
  • Head Coach: A-
  • General Manager: A
  • Team Ownership: A

Of note, although the Colts haven’t been to the postseason in five years, Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard both received high marks.

Carlie Irsay Gordon, Kalen Jackson, and Casey Foyt earned an A in their first year as the primary owners.

The field at Lucas Oil Stadium received a very low mark, earning a D, while the locker room was given a C+. Those were the two lowest grades the Colts received.

Compared to the 2025 rankings, the Colts moved up two spots this year, after coming in at 19th last year.

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The biggest jumps the Colts experienced came in the Food/Dining grade, which went from a C to a B. The Team travel grade also jumped from a D+ to a B-.



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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis police search for 3 people after shooting, stolen vehicle crash

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Indianapolis police search for 3 people after shooting, stolen vehicle crash


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — After a shooting, Indianapolis police were searching for three people who fled on foot following the pursuit of a stolen vehicle and its crash on Thursday afternoon.

No information was provided in the notification about the three people being sought. News 8 reached out to IMPD by email to find out details about the three people. Anyone with information regarding the incident or the people who fled the crash was asked to contact the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

The stolen vehicle was linked to a Thursday shooting, prompting the lockdown of a nearby child care center, IMPD said in a media notification. No information was provided about where the shooting happened, what may have led to it, or whether anyone was hurt.

IMPD, however, said the stolen vehicle and crash were not related to a shooting reported at 12:35 p.m. Thursday at a gas station and restaurant at West 38th and Meridian streets.

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IMPD officers found the stolen vehicle around 12:45 p.m. Thursday near East 38th Street and Post Road. When a detective attempted a traffic stop, the vehicle fled westbound before crashing a short time later near Whenner Drive, the notification said. It did not say what type of vehicle was abandoned in the crash.

Three people from the crashed vehicle fled southwest on foot. IMPD established a perimeter with assistance from the Indiana State Police, the Lawrence Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office — using specialized resources, including a state police helicopter, a special weapons and tactics team, and the IMPD’s police dogs — but did not find the three people.

IMPD said a firearm was found in the crashed vehicle, and a man detained at the crash scene was later released once investigators determined he was not directly involved in the incident.

Police have since lifted the lockdown on the child care center.

IMPD’s public information office can be reached at 317-327-3424.

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Indianapolis, IN

Oakland tops IU Indianapolis; Maguire Mitchell scores 25

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Oakland tops IU Indianapolis; Maguire Mitchell scores 25


INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Brody Robinson had 19 points in Oakland’s 86-74 win against IU Indianapolis on Wednesday.

Robinson added 13 assists for the Golden Grizzlies (16-14, 12-7 Horizon League). Tuburu Niavalurua scored 16 points, going 6 of 10 and 3 of 5 from the free-throw line. Ziare Wells had 14 points and finished 7 of 15 from the field.

Maguire Mitchell led the Jaguars (7-23, 3-16) in scoring, finishing with 25 points and four assists. Kyler D’Augustino added 14 points for IU Indianapolis. Micah Davis also had 12 points.

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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