“Knew it was time to move on” - Ryan Kelly makes feelings clear on leaving Colts for Vikings in free agency

The Minnesota Vikings improved their offensive line by signing center Ryan Kelly this offseason after he spent the first nine years of his career with the Indianapolis Colts. Kelly has distinguished himself as an elite center after making the Pro Bowl in four of the previous six years.

Seeing him leave the organization that drafted him 18th overall in the 2016 NFL draft almost a decade later raised some eyebrows, but there reportedly was no major event that caused him to leave. On Thursday, while speaking to Stephen Holder of ESPN, Kelly explained how he has been feeling a change of scenery was needed for a while now.

"It was time for me to maybe check out what else is out there and move on and have a new perspective in this career. So, yeah, I can't say there's a specific event. I'll miss the guys in the O-line room and I'll miss a bunch of people there. But, in my heart, I just knew it was time to move on and I kind of felt that way over the last year and a half." h/t Pro Football Talk

Ryan Kelly joins right guard Will Fries as both interior offensive linemen left the Indianapolis Colts this offseason and signed with the Minnesota Vikings. It will be interesting to see how Kelly does with the Vikings after signing a two-year, $18 million contract this offseason.

Jim Irsay Thanks Ryan Kelly

After the news that Ryan Kelly was leaving the Indianapolis Colts, CEO and owner Jim Irsay issued a statement regarding the decision and thanked the center for everything he had done over the previous decade both on and off the field. Below is the full statement he provided.

"It's been an honor to watch Ryan represent the horseshoe and he will forever be a part of the Colts family. Ryan is the only center our franchise has ever selected in the first round of the NFL draft, and he developed into an All-Pro and Pro Bowl player over nine seasons. As great as he was on the field, Ryan, along with his wife Emma, made just as big of an impact off the field. They've used their platform to advocate for families and bring awareness to Count the Kicks and Concerns of Police Survivors in addition to other community initiatives. Their courage, strength and resilience have been an insipiration to so many. We will always have a special place in our hearts for Ryan, Emma, Mary Kate, Ford, Duke and Stella Kelly."