Colts give Reggie Wayne a proper farewell from Indianapolis

The Indianapolis Colts said goodbye to one of the franchises all-time greats in Reggie Wayne earlier this offseason, and the team is paying respect to its former wide receiver with a giant thank you sign on their stadium’s exterior.

After 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, the team is saying goodbye to its longtime wide receiver Reggie Wayne with a nice tribute outside of Lucas Oil Stadium.

It is only fitting that the Colts have made this grand gesture for Wayne. Not only has he spent all 14 years of his career with the team, but his 1,070 receptions, 14,345 receiving yards and 82 touchdowns are the second-most in franchise history behind former teammate and fellow Colts great Marvin Harrison.

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Given the negative headlines surrounding Harrison’s life after football, which includes two shootings in the Philadelphia area that he was allegedly involved in, Wayne looks to be the much better choice for a team ambassador at the moment (Harrison was not charged in either incident).

Reggie was a key catalyst in bringing the Lombardi Trophy to Indianapolis for the first time in 2006, as well as the team’s quick turnaround in the aftermath of Peyton Manning’s exit for Denver in 2012. Despite losing the future Hall of Fame quarterback, Wayne played a big role in helping the team’s No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck make a seamless transition to the NFL while leading the Colts to three straight playoff appearances.

In addition to being a fan favorite, Wayne is beloved by his former teammates. Gary Brackett, the Colts defensive captain who was released in 2012 along with Manning, is one of many of his old teammates who had kind words to say about Wayne when news broke that the Colts would not be resigning its longtime standout receiver.

"“It’s very rare in sports that your leader is also a Hall-of-Famer,” Brackett told U.S. News. “Reggie was always a guy you could rely on. Guys gravitated to him because he did things the right way.”"

While Wayne has publicly stated in the past that he could not see himself playing for another team, he is now open to the possibility of moving on in order to continue his career. As of now, however, he has not been signed by a team and all signs point towards the 36-year old’s retirement. The team will look to move forward with promising young wide receivers T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief.

No matter who the next great Indianapolis Colts wide receiver is, one thing is certain, he will have some giant shoes to fill.

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