The trade deadline has officially come and gone.
The Indianapolis Colts continued to be busy sellers after previously trading cornerstone players like Quenton Nelson and Deforest Buckner earlier in the season.
After trading wide receivers Keenan Allen and Josh Downs, former Colts star wide receiver and current position coach Reggie Wayne had a hilarious reaction on X.
The moves leave Indianapolis with a depleted receiving corps, particularly with Alec Pierce already sidelined by a heel injury.
Wayne, who spent 14 seasons catching passes for the Colts, responded to the team’s remaining wide receiver depth chart with a joke about returning to the field himself.
“Welp… Might be time to dust off the old Reeboks… Has the player-coach thing ever happened before?” Wayne wrote on X.
NFL insider Adam Schefter also shared Wayne’s reaction, bringing additional attention to the unusual situation in Indianapolis.
Although Wayne was clearly joking, his comments highlight just how dramatically the Colts’ offense has changed in a matter of hours.
Reggie Wayne Jokes About Colts Comeback After WR Trades
Wayne is no stranger to making plays in an Indianapolis uniform.
The six-time Pro Bowler spent his entire 14-year NFL career with the Colts, recording 1,070 receptions for 14,345 yards and 82 touchdowns.
He was also a member of Indianapolis’ Super Bowl XLI championship team and earned a place in the franchise’s Ring of Honor in 2018.
According to his official Colts coaching biography, Wayne returned to the organization as its wide receivers coach in 2022, helping develop younger players at the position.
His experience includes working with receivers such as Alec Pierce and Josh Downs.
Now, with Indianapolis trading away two of its most established pass catchers, Wayne’s joke about suiting up again has taken on an amusing context.
The Colts’ receiver depth chart looks significantly different following Tuesday’s transactions.
Downs was sent to the Kansas City Chiefs, while Allen landed with the San Francisco 49ers.
The departures leave Wayne coaching a group considerably less experienced than the one Indianapolis entered the season with.
Of course, there is no indication that the 47-year-old is seriously considering returning to professional football.
His comments were simply a humorous response to a challenging situation for the Colts’ offense.
Colts Face Major WR Questions After Trade Deadline Shakeup
Indianapolis received additional draft capital by moving both receivers before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline.
The Josh Downs trade sent the 25-year-old receiver and a 2027 seventh-round pick to Kansas City in exchange for fourth- and fifth-round selections in 2027.
The Allen trade brought another 2027 draft pick from San Francisco.
The decisions represent a significant shift for a Colts organization that entered the season hoping to compete in the AFC.
Indianapolis’ remaining wide receivers include Deion Burks, Laquon Treadwell, Ashton Dulin, Anthony Gould, and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
The organization just signed Westbrook-Ikhine from the practice squad to the active roster following the trades, highlighting some of the inexperience in the room.
Pierce’s ongoing recovery adds another complication, leaving Indianapolis without several of the receivers it expected to rely on entering the season.
That creates opportunities for younger players, including Burks and Gould, to take on more significant offensive responsibilities.
It also presents a considerable challenge for Wayne as he attempts to develop a productive receiving corps during the remainder of the season.
The longtime Colts star won’t actually be putting his old Reeboks to use on Sundays, but his reaction captured the state of Indianapolis’ receiving room after an eventful trade deadline.
Colts Legend Reggie Wayne Jokes About Comeback After Stunning WR Trades