INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts have re-signed safety Clayton Geathers to a one-year deal, the team announced Wednesday.
General manager Chris Ballard said during the NFL scouting combine that the Colts wanted to re-sign Geathers but they were going to let him test the free-agent market first. Geathers recently visited Dallas and Tampa Bay before agreeing to return to Indianapolis.
Having Geathers back means the Colts will return their top three safeties, with him, Malik Hooker and Matthias Farley in the fold for next season.
Injuries hurt Geathers during his first four seasons in the NFL with the Colts. He has never played a full season, played in fewer than 10 games twice and missed a total of 23 games.
Geathers, 26, suffered a scary neck injury that put his career in question when he stopped Tennessee Titans running back DeMarco Murray on fourth down in a game in 2016. Geathers was out for the next 11 months, which resulted in him playing in only five games during the 2017 season.
When healthy, Geathers’ versatility made him one of the Colts’ most valuable defensive players because he could double as a safety and as an extra linebacker if necessary. He had a career-high 89 tackles, 61 solo, last season.
The news of Geathers’ agreement was first reported by The Athletic.