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For a few months now we've been tracking the development of CFL wide receiver Duron Carter and NFL teams pursuit of him, and for a while now it's been clear that the Colts were one of the favorites - and recently we've heard reports that the Colts were one of the two finalists, along with the Minnesota Vikings.
Earlier this afternoon, the Indianapolis Star's Stephen Holder reported that Carter could sign with a team prior to February 10 because his CFL team, the Montreal Alouettes, would release him from his contract when a deal with an NFL team was struck. And it sounds like the Colts are nearing that deal with Carter, per ESPN's Adam Schefter:
Montreal WR Duron Carter, son of HOF WR and ESPN analyst Cris Carter, is closing in on an agreement with the Indianapolis Colts.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 27, 2015
The son of NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter, Duron Carter ran into some academic and off-the-field trouble that derailed his college career and he didn't make an NFL roster as an undrafted free agent, so he headed to the Canadian Football League. In 2013, he caught 49 passes for 909 yards and 5 touchdowns, while in 2014 he caught 75 passes for 1,030 yards and 7 touchdowns. He's a receiver with good size, good talent, and good potential, and that's why he was so sought after by teams. With the Colts, they could get a receiver who needs work but who has a lot of talent, and for Carter he would come to a team where he could continue to develop while playing with Andrew Luck.
It's important to temper expectations for Carter, as he still is raw, but he's an exciting prospect and a guy with plenty of talent, and according to Adam Schefter, he's nearing a deal to become a Colt.
For more on Duron Carter, check out Andrew Aziz's fantastic in-depth breakdown of the receiver, and stay up to date with all of the latest regarding Carter and the Colts with our story stream.
[UPDATE:] CBS's Jason La Canfora, who has been updating this story for a while now, confirms Schefter's report and says that the Colts have a deal in place for Carter.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>I'm told the Colts have agreement with Duron Carter, free agent WR with tremendous potential. Don't expect an official confirmation til Feb</p>— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonLaCanfora/status/560215870685716481">January 27, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>