Colts' Aiken says Ravens didn't give him opportunity to thrive

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Kamar Aiken took a few parting shots at the Baltimore Ravens, claiming his former club didn't give him a chance to succeed.

Aiken spent the past three seasons with the Ravens before inking a one-year contract with the Colts on March 21.

The 27-year-old said that the Ravens viewed him primarily as a special teams player and he was only utilized as a wide receiver in dire scenarios.

"I don't feel like I had the opportunities," Aiken said via ESPN's Jamison Hensley. "I had opportunities when injuries came up and things like that, but it wasn't a true opportunity to say let's help me build off what I did or to get me involved a lot in the offense. It was more, 'We're going to put him in a special-teams role and we'll see where he fits in in the offense.' That's how I felt when I was there."

Aiken appeared to have a breakthrough during the 2015 season, recording 75 catches for 944 yards and five touchdowns. However, Aiken's role was diminished last year, and he finished the campaign with 29 receptions for 328 yards and a touchdown.

"It was definitely frustrating because I felt like I did enough to at least have the opportunity to build off of what I did the year before," Aiken said. "But I really didn't have that. My role was dropped back on the depth chart and then basically special teams. There was nothing that I was doing to say, 'Well, he's not doing this well. He's not doing that well.' That's just what it was."

Aiken joins a deep wide receiver group that features last season's receiving yards leader, T.Y. Hilton, along with Donte Moncrief and 2015 first-round pick Phillip Dorsett. Upon joining the Colts, Aiken doesn't seem intimidated by the competition and will serve as another weapon for Andrew Luck.