Colts' Michael Pittman Jr. Says He Didn't Have Offseason Surgery on Back Injury

Indianapolis Colts wideout Michael Pittman Jr. played through a fractured back this past season.

On Tuesday, however, he said that he hasn't had back surgery this offseason and has already been cleared to play:

Pittman missed just once game last season due to the injury despite believing at one point he might have to go on injured reserve. But Indy's training staff and medical team told him he could play through the injury if he was able to deal with the discomfort, and he was able to do so, regularly receiving imaging scans.

"That's just what you have to do for the guys, because this isn't a fair-weather sport," he told reporters in January. "Guys like Quenton [Nelson], Jonathan Taylor, [DeForest Buckner], they deserve my best even when maybe I don't feel up to it and stuff like that. Also it is like a privilege to play in this league, and I don't take any game lightly. I'm out there because it's just such a privilege, and I take every game serious and football is really my life. I would really do anything to play it each and every game."

He said at the time that surgery was an offseason option, though ultimately he didn't go that route.

It was ultimately a down season for Pittman, who caught 69 passes for 808 yards and three touchdowns, the worst marks he's posted since his rookie season in 2020. Given what he was playing through, however, that lack of production was more than understandable.