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It’s great to receive any positive recognition from the media during the offseason. But it’s even better for a player to draw appreciation from their peers.
That’s exactly what Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II received from Los Angeles Rams wide receiver and Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp just a day after NFL analyst Anthony Treash of Pro Football Focus ranked Moore the top slot cornerback in the league.
Sportscaster Dan Patrick of Premiere Radio Networks asked Kupp who was the best cornerback he faced during the 2021 season when the receiver appeared on The Dan Patrick Show on June 3. Kupp named two cornerbacks — Moore and Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
“There’s a few guys that I thought may not get as much credit or respect, whatever you want to call it,” Kupp said. “I thought Kenny Moore, the nickel we played, he plays for the Colts, I thought Kenny Moore was a really good nickel. He did some really good stuff.
“There’s a lot of guys that I can go through. Those two off the top of my head — those two kind of stick out as guys that I knew were challenging play in and play out.”
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Moore Gaining Recognition Across the League
He’s probably not a household name, but in the last month, Moore appears to be gaining more “credit or respect,” as Kupp said it.
If a consensus in the media has developed since Moore began his holdout during the final full week of May, it’s been that he’s underpaid. Spotrac reports that based on average annual salary, Moore will be the 27th-highest-paid cornerback in the NFL this season.
He signed a four-year extension worth $33.3 million in 2019. Over the course of the entire contract, his average annual salary will be $8.325 million, but he won’t make that much in 2022 or 2023. There’s also no guaranteed money remaining on his deal, which expires after the 2023 season.
On June 2, Treash ranked Moore the No. 1 slot cornerback in the NFL.
“His 12 interceptions from the slot are three more than any other player over the last four seasons,” Treash wrote. “His 1.33 wins above replacement is well above any other predominant slot corner over that stretch.”
Over 61 starts in his career, Moore has 14 interceptions, 45 pass defenses and 358 combined tackles. He also has 20 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits, 4 forced fumbles and 7.0 sacks.
Most impressively, he never leaves the field. Moore has played at least 92% of his team’s defensive snaps every year since 2018.
Moore to Receive a New Contract?
At this juncture, the Colts might not actually enjoy Moore getting a lot of praise from the media and other players. That will make it harder for the team to justify not giving Moore a new contract.
Colts staff writer Stephen Holder of The Athletic reported on May 27 that Indianapolis has “no intention of addressing Moore’s contract.” Holder wrote that the Colts view Moore’s current deal as “a fair contract” and that Moore must honor the deal since he agreed to it. The Colts also typically don’t renegotiate contracts.
Moore sat out team drills during the first two weeks of voluntary offseason workouts, but he was at the team’s facility. Colts head coach Frank Reich told the media on June 1 that he had not talked to Moore about whether he would be participating in team drills in early June.
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