Is this the end of the Mo Alie-Cox experiment?

Ah yes, the famous basketball player turned tight end experiment. It started with Antonio Gates, and hearing on every single broadcast how he used to play basketball, then it was Jimmy Graham, and hardcore Colts’ fans will remember Erik Swoope, who was supposed to become a key weapon for Andrew Luck (those were the good days). Then after that, it was Mo Alie-Cox who was supposed to be the next basketball player turned star tight end in the NFL.

As is usually the case with this type of players, MAC barely saw the field in his first season, but he did catch two touchdown passes, including a beautiful one-handed snag against the then Oakland Raiders for his first career touchdown.

Cox’s career with the Colts has been mostly flashes of excellence followed by weeks and weeks of disappearing acts. Look no further than his game log from the past two seasons, where he seems to have either a really good game or a solid stretch, and then getting blanked several consecutive games.

Following the 2021 season, which was his best as a pro, where he had over 300 receiving yards and four touchdowns, MAC signed a three-year $17M extension with the Colts, as the team was probably hoping that he would take the next step and finally get that consistency that he was lacking throughout his career.

As was the case with almost every single member of the Colts offense in 2022, the worst happened, and it also hurt him that rookie tight end Jelani Woods outperformed him, Kylen Granson played well, and the Colts now added Pharaoh Brown, who mainly serves as a blocking tight end, an area where MAC excelled. Add Andrew Ogletree, who was having a great camp, to the mix and the recipe says that it is not likely that Mo Alie-Cox will be a Colt next season, especially with that big contract.

SImply put, the Colts tight end room will most likely be led by Woods and Granson, with Brown taking most of the blocking snaps. MAC is making more than all of them combined (and then some), which is why I believe that Mo Alie-Cox’s tenure as a Colt is most likely finished.