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Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman will soon undergo a scan to determine whether he needs offseason surgery to repair a fracture in his back — a fracture he sustained before the 2024 season.

Pittman played 16 games this season despite the injury.

While Pittman first noticed something was off during training camp in August, the fracture wasn’t discovered until after the Colts’ Week 3 win over the Chicago Bears. The 27-year-old originally believed he’d have to be placed on injured reserve. But Indy’s training staff and medical team cleared him to play with the injury — if he could deal with the discomfort.

“We were doing [a scan] every four weeks, but then I just got to a point I’m like, ‘I don’t really care what the scan says, I’m going to play either way,’” Pittman said.

Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. Played The Whole Season With A Broken Back

Michael Pittman Jr. revealed on Monday that he played the whole 2024 season with a back fracture.

(Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images)

Pittman finished the season catching 69 passes for 808 yards and three touchdowns. His numbers were down from previous years, but that’s to be expected from a guy who was playing with a broken back.

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Pittman said it was important to him to push through the pain and to show up for his teammates.

“That’s just what you have to do for the guys, because this isn’t a fair-weather sport,” he said. “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 each and every game.”

A Second-Team All-American at USC, Pittman was drafted by Indianapolis in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He signed a three-year contract extension with the Colts in March.