The Indianapolis Colts are declining their fifth-year option on safety Malik Hooker, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Hooker has incredible talent, but he has had a whole lot of difficulty staying on the field.
The 24-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Ohio State, was originally selected by the Colts in the first round (15th overall pick) of the 2017 NFL Draft.
He played in just seven games during his rookie campaign before tearing both his ACL and MCL. During the time he was on the field, Hooker logged 22 tackles, three interceptions and four passes defended.
The following year, Hooker appeared in 14 contests and registered 44 tackles, a couple of picks, a fumble recovery and four passes defended. Due to a foot injury, he missed Indianapolis' Divisional Round playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Then, this past season, the New Castle, Pa. native participated in 13 games, finishing with 51 tackles, a pair of interceptions and a fumble recovery.
Obviously, 2020 is a big year for Hooker, as he could set himself up for a rather big pay day in free agency next offseason if he is able to stay healthy. But, that is certainly a big “if” given that Hooker has never played a full 16-game campaign.
Hooker is slated to make $2.2 million in 2020.
The Colts are coming off of a 2019 campaign in which they were blindsided by Andrew Luck's retirement decision a couple of weeks before the season began. They got off to a strong start, going 5-2 early on, but went just 2-7 over their final nine games to finish 7-9.