Colts’ Willis retires at 26 to pursue ministry
INDIANAPOLIS – Colts starting strong safety Khari Willis is retiring from the NFL after three seasons in order to pursue ministry full time.
Willis, who is 26, was given an excused absence from the organized team activities and mandatory minicamp this offseason to focus on a personal matter. He was answering a call.
“With much prayer and deliberation, I have elected to officially retire from the NFL as I endeavor to devote the remainder of my life to the further advancement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Willis wrote in the Instagram post announcing his retirement.
Willis, in walking away from a promising NFL career on the verge of his fourth season, is giving up a chance at a lucrative second contract.
Drafted in the fourth round in 2019 – Indianapolis was so sure of Willis’ ability that the Colts traded up to get him – Willis took over as the starting strong safety midway through his rookie season and established himself as a solid starter with a reputation as a natural leader.
Willis made 33 starts in 39 games over three seasons, and he’ll finish his career with 219 tackles, four interceptions and 3.5 sacks. A tough player who played a key role in the Indianapolis run defense, Willis has also played through several injuries the past two seasons: a concussion and broken ribs that cost him two games in 2020, calf and groin injuries that cost him six games in 2021.
While it is unclear how long Willis has been considering the possibility of retirement, Indianapolis has spent the offseason addressing the position.
Indianapolis signed veteran safety Rodney McLeod in free agency, added depth with the veteran signing of Armani Watts and then made a big move on the second day of the draft, trading a fifth-round pick this year and a thirdrounder in the 2023 draft to get the No. 96 pick and select Maryland’s Nick Cross.
Cross is the likely long-term replacement for Willis at strong safety, with McLeod in the fold to give the rookie time to develop. Both safeties teamed with starting free safety Julian Blackmon, who is on his way back from the Achilles tendon tear that ended his 2021 season, during the Colts’ open practices this summer.