Reggie Wayne has Triceps Surgery, Still Contemplating Future

For much of the 2014 season, star Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne played with a torn triceps.  It was an injury that he suffered in week seven against the Cincinnati Bengals that the Colts first said was just an injured elbow but was later revealed to be a torn triceps as well.  He missed one game with the injury before returning, but he struggled mightily upon his return to game action.

Wayne said on multiple occasions late in the season that he would have surgery to repair the torn triceps this offseason, and he has indeed undergone the procedure and is currently rehabbing.  But with that said, he's still contemplating whether to return to the field for a 15th season with the Colts.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Speaking of veterans, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Colts?src=hash">#Colts</a> WR Reggie Wayne had triceps surgery and is now rehabbing as he mulls whether to play in 2015. Colts wait, too.</p>&mdash; Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/571420528575033344">February 27, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

In the first six games of the season, Wayne caught 34 passes for 419 yards and a touchdown - a drop-off in production compared to his borderline Hall of Fame career, but still on pace for a 91 catch, 1,117 yard, 3 touchdown season (good production for a guy who turned 36 last year).  But he was injured in week seven, and in the eleven games after that (including playoffs) he caught just 27 passes for 357 yards and a touchdown.  In the final two playoff games, the second-most prolific playoff receiver in NFL history didn't have a single catch.

That brings us to the tough decision that Wayne is currently contemplating.  How will he recover?  He'll turn 37-years old next year, and how much does he have left?  Is coming back for another year worth it?  For the Colts part, they'd welcome him back on a new deal (Wayne will be a free agent), but it would be in a decreased role.  Bleacher Report's Jason Cole reported that the Colts are looking at veteran receivers, and it's something the team needed to do.  If Wayne returns, he'd likely have a role similar to that of Hakeem Nicks a year ago.

Will he come back?  Nobody knows quite yet, and Wayne himself is trying to figure that out as he recovers from surgery.  It's expected that a decision will come before March 10, however, as that is when free agency begins and that way the Colts can have a better idea of what is going on.  The clock is ticking, and Wayne has a tough choice to make.  I don't envy him for having to make it.