Former Indianapolis Colts safety Clayton Geathers opted out of the 2020 season due to health concerns, but he intends to play in 2021.
Geathers' agent, Chris Coy, told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport his client wants to play this upcoming fall. Geathers is a free agent.
Former #Colts S Clayton Geathers, who took off last season due to COVID and to get 100 percent healthy, intends to play again in 2021, per his new agent @Chris_Coy. He’s currently a free agent.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 15, 2021
The 28-year-old was the starting strong safety in Indy for the majority of the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Geathers had a 70.5 Pro Football Focus grade in 2018 before earning a more average grade of 65.7 in 2019. He was placed on injured reserve in Week 11 of 2019 due to injury.
Though not the most productive safety in coverage, Geathers was excellent playing in the box and helping to stop the run. But he probably will not be returning to Indy in 2021.
Article Continues BelowThe Colts could use some upgrades in the secondary. However, it is likely general manager Chris Ballard will zero in on the cornerback position. The Colts can also move Julian Blackmon around, and possibly draft another safety next month. Ballard might also prefer a more coverage-oriented safety.
Geathers could well be looking for employment elsewhere. He is assuring teams he feels good physically, tweeting “I'm stronger than ever before” on Monday.
https://twitter.com/cgeathers26/status/1371418402120683526
Geathers' long injury history is pretty established at this stage. He has had a number of physical setbacks since suffering a season-ending neck injury in 2016.
It seems likely Geathers will have to wait before he gets calls. Still, he could have value to an interested team as a physical presence who can help stuff the run. In any case, he hopes to be back on the field in 2021.