Cornerback Kenny Moore II was a full participant on the first day of minicamp for the Indianapolis Colts. He didn’t work out in team drills on the second day of minicamp, but that was because of precautionary reasons, according to Colts beat writer George Bremer.
With his return to the field, it would be easy to assume Moore’s contract dispute is finished. But that’s far from the truth.
“Is it resolved?” Moore replied with a smile to a question about whether his contract has been resolved.
Moore also remained coy when asked about whether he would be on the field at training camp.
“I would love to be on the field at training camp.”
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The Possibility of a Moore Training Camp Holdout
When Moore wasn’t flat out denying an answer to a question on June 8, he remained very vague. He said he didn’t want “to talk business” or say anything about any potential ailment that kept him out of the second day of minicamp for precautionary reasons.
In today’s environment, his vague responses will be interpreted as him still being dissatisfied about his contract. That leaves open the possibility of Moore not showing up on time for training camp.
“We all know there’s a business side to it,” Moore said. “You guys already know how I feel about this city, this team, this community.
“I mean, I want to be out here. I want to be on the field.”
Moore can say all he wants about how much he loves the Colts and Indianapolis. It’s obvious that he wants to be on the field as well.
But he’s made it clear he also wants a new contract. Moore said nothing to the media that would indicate his contract won’t take precedence when training camp begins.
Contract Dispute Resolved from Colts Perspective?
While Moore implied his contract dispute is not resolved, it may be according to the Colts. Senior writer Bob Kravitz of The Athletic wrote that general manager Chris Ballard and the organization are “not budging” on June 8.
Staff writer Stephen Holder of The Athletic reported on May 27 that the Colts have “no intention of addressing Moore’s contract.”
The biggest reason being that giving Moore a new deal, even though he deserves it, will set a bad precedent. Moore has two years remaining on his contract, which was a lucrative deal for the cornerback when he signed it in 2019.
If there was only one year left on Moore’s contract, he’d probably have more leverage. With two seasons remaining, receiving a new contract is a long shot.
His only leverage is to skip training camp and threaten to hold out into the regular season. But that could end up costing Moore a lot more than he’ll ever gain. He will receive a $50,000 fine for each day he misses at training camp.
Moore has played at least 92% of Indianapolis’ defensive snaps since the start of the 2018 season. He was second on the team last year with 1,063 defensive snaps.
In 61 NFL starts, Moore has recorded 358 combined tackles, 14 interceptions and 45 pass defenses. He also has 20 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks.
Spotrac reports Moore will be the 27th-highest-paid cornerback based on average annual salary in the NFL this season.
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Colts CB Kenny Moore Responds to Possibility of Contract Holdout