It sure seems like Xavien Howard picked the Colts with revenge in mind

After a year out of the league, former All-Pro cornerback Xavien Howard is back in the NFL. According to a statement from his agent, David Canter, on Monday morning, Howard has signed a contract with the Indianapolis Colts.

We don't yet know the terms of the deal, but given Howard's age (32) and the fact that it's already mid-August, this would figure to be a pretty short-term arrangement as the former Miami Dolphins looks to rebuild his value.

It's not hard to see why this would make sense from the Colts' perspective. Indy's coaching staff and front office are facing immense pressure to start winning now, and they're still very much in need of depth at corner opposite marquee free-agent acquisition Charvarius Ward. The team's current CB2, Jaylon Jones, was a seventh-round pick back in 2023 who got picked on pretty regularly as he continues to try to adjust to life in the NFL, and he's currently questionable for the start of the season after suffering an injury early in camp. Who knows how much Howard might have left in the tank at this stage in his career, but maybe some time off has helped him kick the nagging injuries that dogged him toward the end of his time in Miami.

And it's also not hard to see why Howard decided on Indianapolis as the perfect spot to launch his second act. All you have to do is take one look at the Colts' schedule.

Xavien Howard jumped at the chance to get revenge on the Dolphins

Sure enough, the Colts' opponent in Week 1 is ... those very same Dolphins, the same team that cut Howard back in February of last year. And based on how things ended in Miami, you can bet that it was at least one factor motivating his decision.

Howard's release was the breaking point of what had been a tumultuous relationship with the Dolphins, to put it lightly. While Howard blossomed into a star after being taken in the second round out of Baylor in 2016, his play began to decline in the early 2020s, causing Miami to start making alternative plans in the secondary: First, the team signed cornerback Byron Jones to a five-year, $82.5 million contract that eclipsed Howard's, and then it used a first-round pick on Noah Igbinoghene.

Before long, Howard was demanding a trade, and while the two sides eventually came together for a contract extension in 2022, Miami decided to move on from the four-time Pro Bowler less than 24 months later. You can bet that Howard's been stewing over that decision during his time away from the league, and he'd love nothing more than to prove something to the team that gave up on him.

Balling out in Week 1 would do just that, especially considering that the Dolphins themselves could sure use some help in the secondary right now. The Jalen Ramsey trade has left Miami thin on the outside, with Storm Duck and Kendall Sheffield currently slated to start at corner and Mike Hilton at the nickel spot. It was hard to blame the Dolphins from moving on from Howard at the time, considering just how massive his cap hit was relative to his production on the field. And again, there's no way of knowing how a 32-year-old who hasn't played pro football since 2023 will look.

But it sure seems like Howard is motivated, not just to reestablish his career but to stick it to Miami in particular. For Chris Grier's sake, he better hope it doesn't work out.