Nasir Adderley made the shocking decision to retire from football at 25 years old.
Now, three years later, he has a different surprise in store — he’s coming back to the game.
Adderley, 28, has signed a deal with the Colts to join their secondary group, the team announced Tuesday.
A second-round pick by the Chargers in 2019, Adderley spent four years with Los Angeles — recording three interceptions, 12 passes defended and 232 tackles — but called it quits in March 2023. In an Instagram post then, he said he was thinking about his health.
“After a period of self reflection, I have decided it’s time for me to walk away from the game of football,” Adderley wrote. “Over the past couple of years I have denied this realization, but I’m finally going to put myself first for once. My health is above anything and everyone around me knows that.”
Nevertheles, this February, the veteran safety changed his mind and said he intended to come back to the NFL.
“It’s now been three years since I left the NFL, and I am extremely happy with my development,” he wrote. “Health, family, and entrepreneurship were my top priorities, and I’m proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish. The freedom to manage my own schedule was very important to me, but what I didn’t realize was how much I’d miss having football in my life. The competition, the brotherhood, and just being involved in the game that means so much to me and my family. Therefore, I am officially announcing my intention to return to the NFL.”
In 2022, his final season with the Chargers, Adderley logged a career-best two interceptions with 62 tackles.
His final game in the league proved to be a rough one, as the Chargers blew a 27-0 lead to the Jaguars in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
He will now vie for playing time in Indianapolis, which already added safeties Jonathan Owens and Juanyeh Thomas this offseason.
