“Welcome to Loserville.” Flipping through The Patriot Ledger’s archives from December 2000, you’d come across a cartoon illustration on the cover page of the sports section with the caption boldly highlighted. When Boston was not doing good as a whole in the professional sports world, the New England Patriots took one for the team. One of the faces that repeatedly created history with the Pats was Adam Vinatieri, who retired in 2021 as an Indianapolis Colts player.

Right then, everyone guaranteed how his retirement would inspire discussions on how the Pro Football Hall of Fame should make room for another kicker. And why not? League high 599 field goals and 2,673 points, and four rings usually mean a ticket to Canton. That’s not all. He’s the legend who booted not one, not two, but three Super Bowl game-winning field goals for the Pats to give them a momentum. And yet here we are.

Four years down the line, we are still waiting for those talks to begin with which Adam flies to Canton and wears the gold jacket. And this is when The Athletic’s lines from 2021 hit: “For some reason Vinatieri isn’t always placed on the same pedestal with Brady, David Ortiz, Rob Gronkowski, Pedro Martinez, Kevin Garnett and the rest. He should be. Winning? In Boston? Adam Vinatieri practically invented it.” So if he’s not getting a HOF nod, should others continue chasing, even if they too are considered one of the bests?

This time, the 2025 Hall of Fame class includes Antonio Gates, Eric Allen, and Jared Allen. Outstanding players? Yes. But not Vinatieri. And just like Vinatieri waits, again, so does another Colts legend. Only this one—he’s done waiting. Because when Vinatieri didn’t get his gold jacket, Reggie Wayne might’ve decided he’s done chasing his.

Through a tweet, the former Colts WR announced, “Letting y’all hear it from me first…. I’m putting myself in the transfer portal. 🤷🏾‍♂️” Hold on. What? Suspiciously, it’s not a change of job. That’s a Hall of Fame-worthy wide receiver basically pulling the fire alarm and walking out of the building in slow motion while fans scream from the windows. Wayne, the Colts’ unofficial Nostalgia Officer for the last 20 years and their WR coach for the last three, just announced his retirement (or exhaustion). Or perhaps simply a protest.

This one hurt if you’re Shane Steichen, and it’s not just about the numbers. It’s a legacy. It’s allegiance. It’s Reggie Wayne. Under Shane Steichen’s first year as head coach, Wayne helped groom a young and raw WR room into a polished unit that nearly snuck Indy into the playoffs. Josh Downs thrived. Alec Pierce made strides. Michael Pittman Jr. had a 100-catch season. This wasn’t accidental. This was Wayne’s fingerprint.

The kicker, though? You can’t blame him. Reggie Wayne is not an outcast. We’re talking 10th all-time in receptions, 10th in receiving yards, and more postseason catches than Randy Moss. Notably, his 14,345 receiving yards and 1,070 career receptions are more than 17 wide receivers already in the Hall of Fame.

However, for six consecutive years, he has been pushed into the Hall of Fame holding pen rather than being inducted. Before this year’s class was announced, the former Colts’ veteran had even remarked, “I’ll tell you, if I don’t get in this year, I’m gonna be hurt. It’s probably going to be the first time I’m actually hurt because it’s in New Orleans.’’

Larry Fitzgerald and Drew Brees will hit the ballot in 2026. So, Reggie dipped. Not loud. Not messy. Just a little emoji shrug that hits harder the longer you stare at it. And the problems now rest on the Indy HC.

Shane Steichen’s sideline just got quieter, as Reggie Wayne transfers out

It was unnecessary for Reggie Wayne to elaborate. But Colts fans? They hit send on heartbreak, denial, and full-on X spirals. Like a live intervention, the responses came flooding in: “You better not leave 😫😡😫😡.” “Nah fam, you can’t do us like that.”

In real time, Wayne—once the NFL’s most dependable third-down option—became the Colts fans’ emotional third rail. Suddenly, he’s a coach. The next? He is using the “transfer portal” as if it were the NCAA. A fan commented, “Nooooooooooooooo.” While another wrote, “Transfer portal denied.” This increases difficulty for Steichen as the wide receiver room loses its leader in the room.

“Don’t leave us, Reg!” Wayne’s decision couldn’t have come at a worse time. Steichen’s got Anthony Richardson coming back from injury, and Josh Downs, too, had his breakout last season. And it stings more because it wasn’t about scheme, or money, or front office politics. Wayne’s Hall of Fame dreams keep getting deferred while other names—less consistent, less clutch, less Colts—keep waltzing into Canton. This wasn’t just a coaching exit. It was a message from a man who’s tired of waiting for his flowers. And it is also no disrespect to the ones chosen, but a silent wish to be noticed.

Now, the Colts HC has to deal with the fallout—and a coaching void that goes way deeper than just routes and reps. Two Hall of Fame careers stuck in limbo while Colts fans scream into the void, just hoping one of them—any of them—gets the respect they deserve.