Nasir Adderley Returns From Retirement On One-Year Contract From Colts

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by Matthew MendivesApril 18, 2026, 1:33 am >

Nasir Adderley signed a one-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts to return from retirement.

Adderley retired from the NFL in 2022 after four seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers. He cited health, family and entrepreneurship goals as reasons for his retirement.

The Chargers drafted Adderley in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, he played just four games. In 2021, he had 99 tackles in 15 games. He was a relatively healthy player, playing in at least 14 games from 2020 to 2022. However, he abruptly announced his retirement during the 2023 offseason.

His return to the NFL felt just as sudden as his departure. The Colts had already signed Jonathan Owens and Juanyeh Thomas at the safety position. This is, along with already having Hunter Wohler and Cam Bynum.

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Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo strives for versatility in his defense, particularly in the secondary. He’s known for changing his schemes drastically depending on the opponent. While with the Cincinnati Bengals, he made many adjustments to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs on the road to a Super Bowl appearance.

During his best season in 2021, Adderley had Renaldo Hill as his defensive coordinator. Hill is also known for versatility in his scheme. The main difference is that Hill was generally pretty consistent with having two-high safeties. Still, working in a versatile scheme like this can help prepare a defender for many different future schemes.

The Colts currently have the fourth-longest playoff drought in football. They last made the playoffs in the 2020 season. Only the New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints have longer playoff droughts.

The Colts were 8-5 before Daniel Jones suffered an Achilles injury. The Colts are trusting that the roster can return to their peak form from last season. They have signed Jones and Alec Pierce to extensions.