When Blake Grupe touched down in Indianapolis on Monday night, he did so in the middle of the first snowstorm of the year.
The Missouri native hadn't seen snow in quite a while, as he spent the last two-and-a-half years in Louisiana as the kicker for the New Orleans Saints. The weather made Grupe's already hectic schedule even crazier, and as of Wednesday morning the kicker was on his third hotel in as many days with nothing but an unpacked carry-on suitcase and a backpack with him.
"Everything's a little short notice, and just kind of going with the flow," Grupe said Wednesday, after the Colts announced they signed him to their practice squad. "Just making the best out of it, and obviously super thankful for the opportunity here."
Snow, while often disrupting travel plans, is also often seen as a symbol of new beginnings – and that's exactly what this is for Grupe.
The 27-year-old signed with the New Orleans Saints as a undrafted free agent in 2023, winning the kicker position battle and playing in all 17 games in both 2023 and 2024. In 2025, Grupe appeared in 11 games before being released on Nov. 25. Grupe has a career field goal completion percentage of 79.8, but in those 11 games in 2025 he made just 18-of-26 of his attempts.
But he converted all 15 of his PAT attempts – he's 86-of-88 in his career – and after seeing his tryout on Tuesday, the Colts elected to sign the 27-year-old to their practice squad.
"Unfortunately, I felt like this year kind of snowballed on me a little bit," Grupe said when asked about his release from the Saints. "And that's the nature of this business, that's the nature of being a kicker.
"It's a whole brand new season for me...at the end of the day it's really not about me here, it's about the team and everything that they've been building towards all year. I'm just glad to be a part of it."
"I thought Blake had a really good workout, so we're excited to add Blake to the fold," head coach Shane Steichen said Wednesday. "He's done some good things in New Orleans, and so we're excited to have him."
The move came after the Colts waived kicker Michael Badgley on Tuesday; Badgley missed three PATs in the seven games he appeared in, including one in the Colts' loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday. Badgley joined the Colts after Spencer Shrader sustained season-ending ACL and MCL injuries in Week 5.
"If we're looking at the situation in Week 14, we're looking for somebody that's experienced, that we know can handle pressure, that we know can be consistent to be able to make kicks within game," special teams coordinator Brian Mason said Tuesday. "We're looking hey, who can make PATs and be reliable to make kicks within 50? Who we can trust to be able to do that for the next five weeks and then into the playoffs, to be able to make kicks outdoors that we know can handle that pressure? So, we're really looking who has experience, who can be consistent that can be relied upon to make their free throws and layups, that we can depend on."
With Grupe, the Colts feel they're getting that kind of consistency. There's also the added benefit of Grupe and Mason already knowing each other, as they overlapped at Notre Dame in 2022 when Mason was the special teams coordinator for the Fighting Irish.
"That really helps with all the change of everything mid-season and all the craziness," Grupe said. "It's nice to be able to come somewhere where I have some familiarity, where me and Mase know each other. He knows how I tick, I know how he is. And so I think that will just allow me to be even more comfortable."
"It's been awesome to watch this team and everything this team has been working towards with everything that's gone on this year," Grupe later added. "It's been awesome to see them grow and have success...so to now be a part of it and feel like I'm playing meaningful football and that we're all working towards something here together."
