According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Indianapolis Colts and longtime veteran slot cornerback Kenny Moore II have mutually agreed to explore trade options—meaning the two sides could be parting ways soon:
The 30-year-old former Pro Bowl veteran cornerback for the Colts has spent the last 9 seasons in Indianapolis, having been initially claimed as an undrafted rookie free agent off waivers in 2017 from the New England Patriots.
During his lengthy tenure in Indianapolis, Moore II has 649 total tackles (498 solo), 39 tackles for loss, 21 interceptions (*4 returned for touchdowns), 68 passes defensed, 11.5 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries (*1 returned for a touchdown) in 132 career games (111 starts)—all for the Colts.
While Moore II remains a solid slot cornerback, his play has dipped a bit the past two seasons, and it’s a fair question of whether he’s as natural a fit in veteran defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s defensive schemes.
With both Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward entrenched at the outside starting cornerback spots, the Colts are also getting Justin Walley back, the rookie 3rd round pick who really impressed in training camp, before being lost to a season-ending torn ACL—and projects to be a strong candidate to man the slot spot going forward.
It would also not surprise me if the Colts maintain some level of interest in Indiana University cornerback D’Angelo Ponds in the upcoming NFL Draft as a potential long-term starting slot corner option—especially given Ward’s lingering concussion history.
Still, Moore II’s leadership loss from the Colts locker room can’t be understated, as a 3x Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee—including the past two seasons, 2024 and 2025 respectively. The Colts needed to get younger defensively collectively, and have already done so, trading former All-Pro veteran and team captain Zaire Franklin earlier this offseason at linebacker, and letting veteran defensive end Samson Ebukam depart in free agency among their other defensive maneuvers.
For what it’s worth, Moore II has a $13.110 million cap hit for the 2026 campaign in the last year of his current contract with the Colts. Indianapolis could save $7.06M by trading him this early offseason before June 1st, with a dead cap hit of $6.05M, meaning an acquiring team would only be on the hook for the $7.06M.
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