The Indianapolis Colts value versatility very heavily when it comes to the traits a player brings to the field. Current long snapper Luke Rhodes proved how valuable that is during the 2017 offseason.
Despite entering the league as a linebacker in 2016, Rhodes made the switch to long snapper with the Colts during the 2017 offseason and preseason. He wound up winning the job over rookie Thomas Hennessy, who was eventually traded to the New York Jets.
As a guest on the Quarantine Football Podcast, Rhodes talked about how that transition came to fruition during training camp in 2017.
“That’s a good question. I get asked that a lot because of the success I had at linebacker,” Rhodes said on the podcast. “Up and through my rookie year in the NFL, I was playing linebacker and my special teams coach, Tom McMahon at the time, I was working with him kind of after practice a little bit here and there long snapping, kind of just showing him I could do it and if he really wanted me to do it, I would practice it.”
McMahon told Rhodes to continue working on his long snapping to prepare for the battle with the undrafted rookie in Hennessey.
After winning the job in training camp and the preseason, Rhodes sat down with the coaching staff, along with his agent and family, and decided this was the route he should take for his NFL career.
“I was still doing both my second year of training camp—playing linebacker and kind of transitioning into long snapper. I was competing for the job in training camp and then eventually won the job and coach named me the long snapper,” Rhodes said. “It was a credit to him for putting a stress to me and our head coach at the time, Chuck Pagano. We decided that was going to be a good plan for the rest of my career.”
Rhodes has been the long snapper ever since, and he’s been a strong one at that. He produced so well that the Colts rewarded him with a four-year extension that made him the highest-paid long snapper in the league at the time.
Along with punter Rigoberto Sanchez, Rhodes will be a fixture on special teams for the better part of this decade. If he continues to play like he has, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get another deal after this one is through.