NFL teams
Mike Wells, ESPN Staff Writer 4y

T.Y. Hilton wants new deal to finish career with Colts

NFL, Indianapolis Colts

INDIANAPOLIS -- Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton said Wednesday that he wants to be a "Colt for life" and plans to retire at the conclusion of his next contract.

Hilton is headed into the final year of his current deal. He and the Colts had some contract extension talks, but they shelved things once the coronavirus pandemic hit earlier this spring.

"It takes two sides," Hilton said. "It's up to [owner Jim] Irsay and [general manager] Chris [Ballard] to get the job done. I want to be a Colt. So you heard it from me."

Hilton, who will be 31 in November, didn't hold back in saying that whatever length he does sign for -- if the sides can come to an agreement -- will be the final contract he has in the NFL.

"Whether it's two years, three years, four years," he said. "Whatever it is."

Hilton is coming off the least productive season of his eight-year career. He had 45 receptions for 501 yards while being limited to 10 games because of injuries. All those totals were career lows for Hilton. He played through injuries most of the season and refused to go on the injured reserve list, saying in December, "I would never quit on my team. I signed up for 16 games. Some guys may shut it down and call it quits. I don't do that."

The six games Hilton missed last season were more than he had missed -- four games -- in the first seven years of his career combined. During that span he had five 1,000-yard receiving seasons and was named to the Pro Bowl four times.

"I kind of let my teammates down last year being hurt, being injured, things you really can't control," Hilton said. "It's not like you're playing Madden and cutting injuries off. ... I'm working out twice a day, so I don't let my teammates down. My motivation is to getting back to where I was, and that's getting back on top of the game."

Hilton will have his ninth quarterback taking snaps for the Colts since he entered the NFL in 2012, as Philip Rivers, who spent the first 16 years of his career with the Chargers, is the new starter. Rivers has thrown for 59,271 yards and 397 touchdowns in his career.

"I think it'll be special," Hilton said. "I think the way I'm training, the way my body feels and Philip doing his thing, I feel like it'll be an All-Pro year for me."

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