T.Y. Hilton returns to the NFL with the Cowboys

T.Y. Hilton is going to play this season after all. But for the first time in his career, it will be for a team other than the Colts.

Hilton signed a deal Monday to play with the Cowboys, the team announced.

The 11th-year wide receiver and four-time Pro Bowler will join a 10-3 team for the final four games and for the playoffs. The Cowboys had been in need of help out wide after trading Amari Cooper to the Browns in the offseason. They had been in talks with Odell Beckham Jr., who continues to rehab from a second ACL tear in two seasons.

Hilton voiced interest in returning to the Colts for an 11th consecutive season last spring. He was coming off an injury riddled season that limited him to 10 games, 23 catches, 331 yards and three touchdowns, but as a captain, he believed he still had something left to give to what was going to be one of the youngest receiving corps in the NFL. He entered this year tied for third in franchise history with 631 receptions and ranked third all-time with 9,691 receiving yards.

The Colts remained open to the idea, staying in touch with Hilton through the draft and into the summer. But as Parris Campbell returned to full health and the team drafted Alec Pierce out of Cincinnati in the second round, the need for Hilton diminished, and a deal never came together.

Indianapolis has had productive moments out of Pierce and Campbell this season, as well as from Michael Pittman Jr., who is on pace for a second consecutive 1,000-yard season. But the rest of the offense has plummeted through struggles to run the ball, protect the passer and deliver down the field. It has benched a quarterback and fired an offensive coordinator and play caller amid a 4-8-1 start.

Hilton had said in the spring that he was open to signing somewhere else, but his market stayed quiet. That changed Monday, when the Cowboys welcomed him in for a visit and struck a deal.

Hilton never reached the Super Bowl in Indianapolis, topping out in the AFC Championship Game in 2014. Now, he'll look to lead the Cowboys to a place they haven't been since 1996.

Contact Colts insider Nate Atkins at natkins@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins_.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: T.Y. Hilton returns to the NFL with the Cowboys