At Stampede Blue we try to keep you updated on what some former Colts are doing, and one former Colts' wide receiver is making a return to football, as Austin Collie has signed with the Canadian Football League's BC Lions:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Excited to join the BC Lions organization and get a chance to play again! Go <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BCLions?src=hash">#BCLions</a>!</p>— Austin Collie (@AKCollie_10) <a href="https://twitter.com/AKCollie_10/status/560938023441821696">January 29, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Collie was a fourth round selection by the Colts in the 2009 Draft and he showed significant promise as a slot receiver. He was with the Colts from 2009-2012 and played in 45 games with the franchise, including playoffs (starting 17). He caught 190 passes for 2,086 yards and 18 touchdowns with the Colts and provided a real threat for quarterback out of the slot. The problem for Collie was that he struggled with a number of injuries, including (at least) three concussions, which were pretty serious ones too. Then in 2012, he tore his patellar tendon in his first game back and he didn't play again for the Colts. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers for training camp in 2013, but he was released during final cuts. The New England Patriots signed him mid-season and he went through a couple times of being on the team and off the team, but he ended up catching 11 passes for 135 yards in nine games with the Patriots, including the playoffs, starting one. He was released after the season and didn't get signed anywhere else, not playing during the 2014 season.
Hopefully things work out for the 29-year old Collie in the CFL, as he showed talent and promise while with the Colts but injuries derailed his career. Hopefully he can stay healthy and pick up on some of the great things that he did with the Colts from 2009-2012. Best of luck to Austin Collie as he attempts to make a comeback to football, joining the CFL's BC Lions.