Reggie Wayne has put together an outstanding season for the Indianapolis Colts, but it wasn't so long ago that his future was in question.
The 34-year-old wide receiver, voted to his sixth Pro Bowl this week, toyed with the idea of leaving the Colts last offseason to join the Houston Texans, a move that would have reunited Wayne with his former University of Miami teammate, Andre Johnson.
"Here was one of the places that he actually wanted to come," Johnson told the Houston Chronicle. "I was hoping that I would get a chance to be able to play with him again. Unfortunately, it didn't go that way."
Unfortunately for the Texans, perhaps, but not for the Colts. Wayne has been reborn in a Bruce Arians offense that leaned heavily on the veteran wideout from the start.
When Peyton Manning was under center, Wayne typically lined up on the same side of the play formation snap after snap. It was successful for Wayne, but Arians has the receiver running routes from multiple locations, and Wayne has responded, hauling in a monster 102 catches for 1,315 yards from rookie Andrew Luck.
The notion of pairing Wayne with Johnson in Houston's offense is frightening. It would have made the Texans as dangerous through the air as they are on the ground. Johnson was all for it, but it was not to be.
"He started there, he's had a great career there," Johnson said. "I'm just happy he's there playing at a high level even though he's been doing it for 12 seasons."
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
