With Peyton Manning's status questionable for the Colts' season opener, the team is taking no chances, agreeing to terms with veteran quarterback Kerry Collins on Wednesday.
Colts owner Jim Irsay tweeted the news.
With Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky the options behind Manning on the depth chart, the Colts apparently didn't feel comfortable with their situation in the event that Manning is unable to start the season. Manning is currently recovering from neck surgery in May, a procedure from which he said he was slow to recover due to the lockout preventing him from working with the team's medical staff.
The agreement with Collins should likely put an end to any wild speculation about Brett Favre joining the Colts.
Collins retired in July after 16 seasons in the NFL. He played for the Panthers, Saints, Giants, Raiders and Titans, amassing more than 40,000 passing yards and a 55.8 completion percentage. Last year in Tennessee, he completed 57.6 percent of his passes and threw for 1,823 yards, 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions in nine games, seven of which were starts.
The Colts open their 2011 season Sunday, Sept. 11, against the Houston Texans.
