Despite his scant playing time, Indianapolis coaches and officials have always held Jim Sorgi in high regard, demonstrating this even moreso by retaining their backup to Peyton Manning through the 2010 season.
Sorgi, 26, signed a three-year contract extension over the weekend. Financial details were not yet available.
"It's nice to have some security," Sorgi said following a mop-up stint in the Colts' 31-7 victory over the Carolina Panthers, in which he completed one of two passes for nine yards. "It's a good situation for me."
A fourth-year veteran, Sorgi would have been eligible for unrestricted free agency next spring without an extension. Under the one-year restricted free agent qualifying offer that Sorgi signed this spring, his base salary for 2007 was $850,000. It is not known if that was affected by the new deal.
The former University of Wisconsin quarterback was the Colts' sixth-round choice in the 2004 draft, and he has served as Manning's backup ever since. Manning's iron man streak of 151 straight regular-season starts have relegated Sorgi to Maytag Repairman status, but Colts coaches have always had confidence in him.
Counting his Sunday appearance -- he replaced Manning with 9:40 remaining in the game -- Sorgi has played in 11 games. He has completed 60 of 92 passes for 628 yards, with five touchdown passes and one interception.
His most extensive action came in late-season games in 2005 and 2006, when Indianapolis had already secured a playoff berth and Manning worked only a series or two before leaving the games. In a Christmas Eve 2004 game against Seattle, Sorgi completed 22 of 31 passes for 237 yards.
The extension for Sorgi not only provides him some security, but also means that finding a capable backup quarterback is not something with which Indianapolis officials must concern themselves. The team has four starters -- free safety Bob Sanders, tight end Dallas Clark and guards Jake Scott and Ryan Lilja -- who are in the final seasons of their contracts and who could become unrestricted free agents next spring.
Senior writer Len Pasquarelli covers the NFL for ESPN.com.