Colts announce that Reggie Wayne won't be back in 2015

It's the end of another era.

In this day an age it's not surprising that a player such as Reggie Wayne won't spend his entire career with the same team, but the news that the Colts are letting Wayne play elsewhere next season still resonates.

On Thursday, the New England Patriots opted not to pick up Vince Wilfork's contract. Later in the day, Maurice Jones-Drew announced his retirement. And yet another fixture from the 2000s, Wayne won't be back with the only team he knows.

Wayne ranks second to Marvin Harrison in Colts history in both receptions (1,070), receiving yards (14,345) and receiving touchdowns (82). Assuming Wayne doesn't retire — he turns 37 this year — he is the NFL's active leader in receptions and yards and third behind Antonio Gates and Larry Fitzgerald in receiving touchdowns.

[Check out Shutdown Corner's full 2015 free agent rankings – click here for offensive players, and click here for defensive players and specialists]

The Colts drafted Wayne in the first round of 2001, but he didn't break out as a premiere receiver until 2004. Starting with that season, Wayne notched seven straight 1,000-yard seasons (and eight in nine years) as Peyton Manning's go-to target in the twilight of Harrison's career.

After suffering a torn ACL midway through the 2013 season, Wayne came back to play 15 games last season but saw his numbers drop off to 64 catches for 779 yards and two touchdowns. In his final game as a Colt, Wayne failed to catch a pass in the AFC title game loss to the Patriots and had only one reception in the Colts' three playoff games this past season.

T.Y. Hilton is the Colts' top receiver, Donte Moncrief could be the No. 2 option and CFL signee Juron Carter has a chance to make an impact in his first year as an NFL receiver. The Colts also figure to add at least one receiver this offseason.

Will Wayne play another year? If so, he'll be doing it for another team for the first time.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm