Colts sign punter Rigoberto Sanchez to two-year extension

INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts are making sure that one of the most important members of their special teams remains in the fold.

Indianapolis has signed punter Rigoberto Sanchez to an extension, the team announced Thursday.

Sanchez’s new deal adds two years to his contract, a league source told IndyStar, and makes him one of the five highest-paid punters in the NFL, a reflection of how steady Sanchez has been during his time in Indianapolis.

He was headed into the final year of a three-year, $7.5 million deal. By locking up Sanchez now, the Colts ensure that one of the key pieces of the kicking game remains.

Sanchez, 31, has become a mainstay in Indianapolis, a directional punting weapon who has been able to maintain his play despite dealing with two significant medical issues during his career in Indianapolis. A cancerous tumor was removed from Sanchez’s body in 2020, and two years later he tore his Achilles tendon in training camp, forcing Sanchez to miss the entire 2022 season.

All he’s done since returning from the Achilles injury is become one of the NFL’s best punters again.

A wizard who has remarkable control over directional punts and a knack for pinning the ball inside the 10-yard line, Sanchez is coming off a season where he averaged 44.7 net yards per punt, breaking the franchise record for net punting one year after he set another franchise record for gross average (49.7).

Sanchez rarely lofts a ball into the end zone. The Colts’ punter had only three touchbacks last season, has just seven touchbacks in the past three seasons and only 21 touchbacks in 481 career punts, a paltry 4.4% of his career offerings.

He’s also an excellent holder. When the Colts signed veteran kicker Blake Grupe late last season, Indianapolis was betting heavily that all Grupe needed was a better operation around him after struggling in New Orleans for most of the season. With Sanchez holding and long-time long snapper Luke Rhodes firing the ball back to him, Grupe was perfect down the stretch for the Colts, a sign that Indianapolis special teams coordinator Brian Mason was right about the effect his punter could have on the team’s kicking game.

Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts sign punter Rigoberto Sanchez to two-year extension