Farbotko Signs One-Year Deal With Colts

Everyone dreams of making it big, of one day holding that championship trophy, of being the best. Senior Matt Farbotko has his shot and may be on his way to the big show. The tight end signed a one-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts last weekend after a three-day minicamp.

Farbotko first received notice the Colts were interested in his potential on NFL draft day, when they offered him a tryout to include meetings, orientations, and physical, drug, and flexibility tests beginning last Thursday.

After a long weekend of learning everything from plays to lingo, Farbotko did not know where he stood. Ready to talk to Colts coach Tony Dungy after practice ended, the tight end found himself instead in the general manager’s office signing himself into what he hopes will be an NFL career.

“Now I’m excited,” Farbotko said. “I’m not so much anxious anymore, now I know what to expect, I know what camp’s like, now it’s just more [thinking] ‘I’ve got to get down to business.’ It’s a job now, it’s how I’m going to make my living, so I need to do well.”

Farbotko will join classmate and running back Clifton Dawson—who was signed as an undrafted free agent on draft day—in Indianapolis as soon as finals end.

“It was nice to have [Dawson] there to have someone I knew just right off the bat,” Farbotko said. “It just added another level of comfort.”

Dawson echoed these sentiments.

“I’m definitely happy,” he said. “Matt did an outstanding job in camp, he deserves every opportunity he gets. I’m extremely excited, it’s always great to have another buddy in camp.”

Whether or not Farbotko will actually make the team this fall is another question: the senior will likely find himself up against two other players to fight for the fourth tight end roster spot.

But a lot changed in just this past weekend. Going from an undrafted, unsigned player to minicamp and a contract did worlds for both Farbotko’s confidence level and his potential in the eyes of the team.

“Going in this weekend, I didn’t really know what to expect...I was skeptical,” Farbotko said. “But now that I see that they’re excited about how I played in camp, they’re excited to have me on, enough to sign me. I feel like they’re at least going to give me a fair shot.”

If Farbotko is not able to make his way into the league through a team’s roster, the practice squad may be his window of opportunity.

“That would probably be the way to get my foot in the door even further,” he said. “A lot of guys are on the practice squad for a couple of years, maybe another team will sign me then, maybe the Colts will. I just have to stick with it.”

—Staff writer Madeleine I. Shapiro can be reached at mshapiro@fas.harvard.edu.