Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - GRUELING: Indianapolis Colts' Michael Pittman Jr., Zaire Franklin Among TOUGH Contract Choices
Episode Date: January 7, 2026The Indianapolis Colts need to work some contract magic this offseason, and Michael Pittman Jr. and Zaire Franklin are two of the most glaring examples. EVERYDAYER CLUBIf you never miss an episode,... it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans.Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub Find and follow Locked On Colts on your favorite podcast platforms:🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-colts/📺YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLdpxJspi1hMh5HL7ExpWOQLocked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-nfl/ Follow Jake's written work on roundtable.io/sports/nfl/colts/ and Zach's on si.com/nfl/colts/, and give them a follow on Twitter @JakeArthurNFL, @ZachHicks2, and @LockedOnColts! Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Rocket MoneyLet Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. Join at http://RocketMoney.com/LOCKEDONBetterhelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. BetterHelp makes it easy to get matched online with a qualified therapist. Sign up and get 10% off at http://BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON. DripDropRight now, DripDrop is offering podcast listeners 20% off your first order. Go to http://dripdrop.com and use promo code lockedonnfl.Ultimate QBUltimate QB is totally free to play, has no ads, and works 100% offline — perfect for when you want to sneak in a quick game or two on the go. Just head over to http://ULTIMATE-QB.COM. FanDuelToday's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. So before tip-off, check the FanDuel app and see what’s dropping during NBA Happy Hour — every Friday from 6 to 7:30 PM Eastern. A little basketball, a little action, and a whole lot of Friday energy.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as non-withdrawable free bets that expire in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)PrizePicksDownload the PrizePicks app today and use codeLOCKEDONNFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup.Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFLGametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFLfor $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.ZocdocStop putting off your doctor’s appointments and get the care you need.Go to http://Zocdoc.com/lockedonnfl to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Transcript
Discussion (0)
The Indianapolis Colts have several massive contract decisions coming up this offseason for some of their longest tenured players.
Let's get to it.
You are Locked on Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.
Welcome to the Locked On Colts podcast, part of Lockdown Podcast Network.
Now, the number one sports podcast network around.
Hello, everyone.
My name is Zach Hickshaw, Resident Film Nerd, of Horseshoe.com.
And I've joined, as always, by Jake Arthur,
the boots on the ground for Roundtable Sports.
We are back today with our off-season coverage of this Indianapolis Colts team.
I'm sure you guys are all enthused about it being the off-season already,
yet again for the Colts.
But today we're talking about several contract discussions that need to be had
in the next couple months from this.
Colts organization. Most notably, a receiver set to make $29 million, a linebacker who everyone's
been coming for his head the last couple years, and then a couple other big contracts that
just could be on the table to be reworked or redone by this Colts organization in the next few
months. But Jake, the topic of the hour and kind of the inspiration for this episode is Michael
Pittman Jr. Now, Michael Pittman, Jr., we don't want to say a bad thing about this guy, right?
fantastic player over the course of his contract, earned his second contract he got with the
Colts and fought through so much the last couple years with his injuries and with, you know,
being able to get on the field. But as of right now, he's set to make $29 million against the
cap in 2026, which is the seventh highest in the NFL among wide receivers. And the play
just hasn't shown that level of contract that he's getting. Alec Pierce surpassed him as the number
one wide receiver on the depth chart.
He hasn't hit 1,000 yards in two seasons now,
two or three seasons now, I think, with the Colts.
And it's just you can't keep him at that contract number.
And with Chris Ballard returning for another year,
we'll see what they do with that.
But I think any smart organization, like,
I don't know if you outright cut them.
I don't know if you have to trade them,
but you have to do something with that cap hit,
whether it's extending, restructuring, cutting, or trading.
one of those options.
You just can't have him playing at $29 million this next year,
especially when you need to make room for a player like Alec Pierce,
who quite frankly has been better than him the last two seasons.
Yeah, and kind of the inspiration for all of this
is because it's a big season of free agency for the Colts.
Like you mentioned, Alec Pierce, they have decisions to make on,
obviously they need to afford Daniel Jones.
Nick Cross is a free agent.
Like there's guys out there that they're going to want to bring back,
and then guys who maybe were all not sold on,
but they have opinions on, you know, quidipay, Braden Smith.
Like, there's guys out there that they want to have money for.
And again, going back to the Carly-Urse-Gordon press conference,
the urgency and the pressure on Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard internally
has never been more than right now.
And when the owner comes out and actually declares that,
that's, I think it's pretty serious.
So the pressure to make things happen and not just be stagnant through the off-season,
it's there.
and so you kind of, if I'm not mistaken, they're going to have like 45 mil or something in
cap space right now. They have like a decent amount, but there's two ways to look at this.
You need to create more because you kind of need, you need to find upgrades everywhere you can,
but you also have to finally just kind of do away with the contracts where the money far outweighs
the production. At the time the Colts signed Pittman a few years back.
to this deal. It was a good deal. And it became an even better deal like 24 hours later when
several other receivers signed for even steeper money. So at the time, it was a great deal. It's not like
it's not like the Colts, it was bad, you know, the whole time they did this. But his production
has declined. You know, he did have the back injury two years ago. This year, you know,
being relatively healthy, he still wasn't super productive. He's been bypassed as like the dude.
on the depth chart by Alec Pierce, like you mentioned.
Like Pierce is there.
By Warren, honestly, maybe as well.
By Warren.
And they even try to get Josh Downs involved a lot in those money downs as well.
It hasn't always worked.
This wasn't Downs best year either.
But Pierce, or not Pierce, but Pittman used to dominate the target share.
And that just has not been the case anymore.
You know, Jonathan Taylor's catching more balls.
Tyler Warren is the first tight, the real tight in they've had there since Jack Doyle.
You know, Downs is a guy.
They like Pierce is someone they want to desperately get the ball to to spark the offense.
So making the seventh most money among all NFL wide receivers when you're so far down the totem pole in terms of actual production, it doesn't match.
And traditionally, the Colts have let these contracts play out because they want to honor the player.
And, you know, they want the player to honor the contract and not come back for all these renegotiations and everything.
so they're going to do their part to honor the contract that they put out there.
But that's just not what successful teams do.
You know what I mean?
Like you have to revisit things.
And this isn't them outright saying you need to cut them or anything like that,
but you got to figure something out.
And that might result in him being cut.
But $29 million for a player who's never reached 10 touchdowns,
he's not routinely getting 1,000 yards or like 100 catches.
I thought last Sunday was just like,
like a really sad period to it, a little, just a punctuation mark to this whole discussion.
Again, not to necessarily say you have to cut him, but there was a couple plays where they really
needed him to step up and he dropped the ball.
And then that's not the first time this year.
That's been the case.
So that's with the money on the line, again, 29 million, to me, that is the most obvious
discussion that needs to be had about the current contracts on the roster.
Yeah, and just to add more kind of clarity to the Colts cap situation, they do have $45 million
in projected cap space.
Most of that's going to go to Daniel Jones, and then whatever is left over, they're going to have
to make room for Alec Pierce.
So when you have the ability, the Colts, again, $29 million is what Pittman's projected
to make.
If you move his contract in a trade or cutting him, you free up $24 million.
You only incur $5 million in dead cap.
So I'm actually going to go one step further here, Jake.
and I want to see your response to it.
I think the trade needs to happen for this offseason.
I really think the trade needs to happen.
I don't think his role is irreplaceable as what it was with Frank Reich,
where I think in Shane Steichen's offense,
Pittman has always kind of just been a very limited route tree guy
who runs these underneath kind of timing routes.
And yeah, he can create some hidden yardage after the catch,
and he's still a quality player,
but I don't even think he's being maximized in this offense.
I just don't think the fit has ever been perfect.
I don't think he's as well-rounded as a receiver as what the Colts need there at that spot.
So I think ultimately trading that to another team, having another team take on one year at $24 million,
get that guy they can sell to their fan base as the number one wide receiver,
especially if your teams like New England or Vegas who have like $150 million in cap space,
you know, you can get, you can fit him in in that contract for one year.
Just dump a fifth or a sixth round pick to the Colts for him.
And there we go.
The Colts free up the space.
they get some draft capital.
I think it makes the most sense
because if they come out and extend him
or restructure it,
you're just pushing the bill to the future.
You still have to pay that bill at some point
and he's still a player
that's not really meeting
the criteria that you want
for that kind of money.
So I think for the Colts,
it's a tough decision
and I think this will be the biggest litmus test
for if Chris Ballard's going to take
this off season seriously.
Because if we see him do what he did with WCOM
where he doesn't touch that contract
or it's just an extension,
on there, then I'm convinced he's not fully changing and he's not doing what he needs to be done
for this team. I love Michael Pittman Jr. I think he's a fantastic player. I think fan should have
his jersey. I think, you know, he's a guy that has warranted the love over the years. But
there's always a time to move on. And you want to be the team that moves on a player for moves on
from a player at the right time rather than one year too late. And that was always like the Patriots
model when they were winning Super Bowls was they move on from players at the right time,
not one year too late you can get some value out of them and you know when to make that move for the colts they have a big time out in that contract i just think trading them away makes the most sense for both sides at some point this off season yeah and for us to even put this out there it has to make sense and there has to be suitors and i think there are like you mentioned uh Vegas is one of them i look at Seattle if they need someone to replace like the cooper cup roll if Baltimore needs to replace uh deandre hopkins
Cleveland has extra ammo.
They need receivers.
Like there are teams out there that make a lot of sense.
And Pittman's not bad.
He's not washed.
He's just like the Colts need an upgrade.
They need more firepower.
This offense, we clearly see what direction they want to go with it.
And the money is just not matching the production.
But Pittman can represent a large upgrade for a lot of teams.
I really feel.
And so I think the supply and the demand both is there.
And for the Colts, they've got to have the motivation to move on from that money.
And like you mentioned, Chris Ballard is the big hang up here because he admittedly gets very emotional and tied into these players, their families, their lives.
This feels so cold for me saying it, but like, if I'm a GM, you have to realize, like, you don't look at players like as numbers or whatever, but like it is a business and you have to make tough decisions.
and you can't just stare at these guys and see like their families or their home lives or things like that
because you're never going to be able to make tough decisions.
Like a lot of these guys always will have some sort of touching story or reason not to do something.
Yeah. It's just, it's again, like you said, we're going to see if Chris Ballard is serious or not about changing his stripes.
Last year was a great start with being more aggressive.
But this year, I think, again, I keep saying it, you got to hear.
hurt some feelings this year. That's just the nature of the business. Yeah, last year was a good start
with how we spent in free agency. Again, I don't need you to spend big like that in every free agency,
but I like the aggressiveness. I still had issues with how he handled some of the contracts on the
roster, including the MUCOM one. But we'll see. They have a big opportunity with Michael Pittman
Jr. contract. Also, I think it's a big opportunity to shake up a leadership core that has been here
the last five seasons when they haven't made the playoffs. And speaking of that leadership core,
there's another big contract that I think the Colts can look to move this offseason.
I'm sure a lot of Colts fans will be on board with somehow moving this contract.
Finding a doctor that you actually like can feel like discovering a diamond in the rough.
You want someone in network nearby with availability, but you also want a doctor who really
listens, makes you feel comfortable, explains things clearly, and helps you walk out feeling confident
about your next step. Your diamond in the rough doctor exists.
and finding them is easy with Zoc Doc.
Zoc Doc is a free app and website that helps you find and book high quality in-network
doctors so that you can choose someone who truly connects with you.
I love that you can search for specialties or symptoms even,
and you can quickly find the right fit for you.
Being able to choose in-person or video visits make scheduling way easier.
The video visits is so clutch nowadays because you don't always need to go in for something
or you don't want to expose people to.
what you got going on. So the video visits, that's really valuable nowadays. You can even
check the verified patient reviews to get a real sense of a doctor's vibe in their communication
style. So stop putting off those doctor's appointments. Go to Zocdoc.com slash locked on NFL
to find and instantly book a doctor that you love today. That's Z OCDOC.com slash locked on NFL. Thanks to
Doc for sponsoring this message.
And hey guys, the draft pick positions are set and so many teams are looking for their franchise
QB.
Ever wish that you could become a pro QB getting drafted first overall by the Colts?
I mean, they don't have a first round pick in the next couple of years, but you know,
in this hypothetical, well, now you can.
There's a mobile game for you called Ultimate QB Football Legend.
In this game, you step into the cleats of a number one draft pick quarterback and it's your
job to lead your franchise to greatness to help them turn a failing.
franchise into a dynasty.
This is the number one, a QB career mode game on mobile app stores, and it introduces
the most realistic environment with full career control.
You can sign contracts, train and upgrade yourself, build chemistry, and evolve your
teammates, give input to your GM on roster moves, play the actual games in 2D, and rise
through the ranks, become a pro football legend.
You'll deal with the ups and downs of a QB career from rookie nerves to playoff drama,
and every choice shaped your journey.
Ultimate QB is totally free to play.
no ads and works 100% offline, perfect for when you want to sneak in a game or two while you're
on the go. So just head over to ultimate dash qb.com. That's ultimate dash qb.com or search for
ultimate qb in your app store. And we've got something special for you guys. Use the promo code
locked on in all caps in the game store to get a free boost at the start of your career. That's ultimate
QB football legend. QB1. It's your legacy.
All right. Locked on Colts every day. We want to thank you guys real quick for making
on Colts, your first listen of the day
and every single day. And thank you for making
Locked on Colts the number one sports podcast network.
If you haven't already, go check out the new
Everyday Air Clubs. You can catch our
audio ad free and get an invite to
the members only Locked on Everydayer Club Discord
server, which includes a group chat just for
listeners of our shows. Go to LockdownColts.com
to join or even gift a subscription.
Now, Jake, there might be some people who disagree
with our first segment. You know,
there's sentimentality when it comes
to Michael Pittman Jr. He's still been
a pretty good player. The fans don't hear him too much during the season. So I think for the
most part, he's still in a lot of fans, good graces. And quite frankly, we all love Michael
Pittman Jr. This is purely a business discussion. It gets a little bit emotional when we talk
about this next player, and that is public enemy number one, Zeyer Franklin. Now, public sentiment was
so good about him until 2024 when the podcast started for him, us talking about another podcast.
where it's very meta here, by the way.
But fans have really turned on Zaire Frank in the last two years.
And quite frankly, like the PFF numbers and a lot of the advanced numbers were just brutal on him this year.
I think by PFF, he was like their third worst linebacker in the NFL this season.
I can see it.
I've got some of his PFF stuff.
Okay.
So you'll read him off here in a second.
But he's got two years left on his contract.
$0.00 guaranteed $18.5 million over the next two years.
You save a little less than $15.
million over the next two seasons with releasing or trading him and that's included in just under
six million dollars this year i want to stipulate this i don't think that you would trade him uh i think a
similar caliber player was like germain pratt the bangles couldn't trade him and they ended up cutting
him i think this would be more of a cut situation but jay give us the reasons why we should cut
zire franklin because you have the pff numbers right there and i think pf would be all on board
with cutting him with the grades they gave him this year yeah i want to preface it with saying
like obviously we're not just going off PFF grades as to why we would do this.
Like we have eyes and we've seen every snap that he's played.
But it's just I think you need so much more out of this linebacker group.
And we said it before the year.
They downplayed it because they thought they had what they needed.
And you saw just glaring opportunities for guys to make plays in the middle of the field that weren't this year.
So let's just look at the PFF of it all here.
I do think in general they get things close.
Like some details can be pretty questionable,
but like if a player had a bad season,
it usually reflects that.
If they had a good season,
usually reflects it.
Get into the numbers.
Everyone hates people that go strictly off PFF.
But they love when it's events their public enemy,
they want to hear it.
So let's hear the numbers.
Let's hear the numbers.
All right.
So this was comfortably his worst career grade this year,
38.4. That's worse than bad. That's awful. He also had career worsts in run defense,
which was a 54.9 grade coverage, which is 29.9 grade. Run defense and coverage is mainly what
you're asked to do as a linebacker. Tackling his worst grade, 47.3, you've always got to tackle
as a linebacker. He had his worst mistackle rate of his career at 13.9% this year and his
fewest amount of stops this year with 39 and that's all numbers like since he became a full-time
starter obviously um so yeah like this was by pfs measure his worst career year as a starter and
that checks out with him being in a new system with luana remo and you and i said probably
midway through the year uh when we kind of did a check in with guys that like not disappointing
but we want to see more from zyre was loading the stat sheet the year
prior he was making plays all over the field creating turnovers at a great rate he did like almost
none of that this year he just got he got his hundred plus tackles got a handful of tackles for
loss a few sacks and that was about it and that just wasn't good enough you know he was out of
position a lot he was missing tackles again evidenced by his highest mistackle rate of his career
it just wasn't good enough and then we talked a lot about germane pratt in the off season and we said
I don't know, that's just having two Zyre Franklin's.
Well, they did wind up with two Zyre Franklin's all year,
and one of them was better than the other,
and that was Jermaine Pratt.
So what do you do with that?
That's a much cheaper player who is also a free agent this year,
and you save, obviously, you get about $5 million or so
from cutting ties with that Zyre contract.
That might be time.
Yeah, I still want to stand by that I don't think Franklin is as bad
as the perception or even as bad as what those
numbers would suggest. But
I will say this was his worst year of his career
by far as a starter. A lot
of it had to do with being in a different system
but also just not creating turnovers.
That's what he was so big at last year. It was
creating the turn. Like for every negative
Franklin play, there was a punch out.
You know, or there was a big fumble recovery. There was a big
sack. There was a big interception.
And it's like, okay, you can live with the ups and
downs and downs if you're getting turnovers.
If you're not creating turnovers and you have the ups and
and probably more downs and ups, then this is what's going to happen.
So, yeah, I think the Colts can make a statement by cutting him.
Again, I don't think he's some horrible player like some people think,
but it's another chance to shake up this leadership committee,
and especially with a player who's getting paid a little bit too much for a system
that he doesn't really fit.
You want to play more man coverage.
You want to be this faster flying around defense that is really smart and heady.
Franklin more so fits that that Tampa,
two that cover three type of zone style of defense the colts ran a ton of man this year and having a
player like franklin it limits you to where if he's on the field when you're want to play man you're
you're basically blitzing him or you're leaving yourself vulnerable to him getting beaten coverage so
i think if you really want to commit to this system which the colts they did a lot of roster turning
on the defense throughout the year to bring in guys who fit this system better i think this is one
contract you probably want to move off of so i don't think it's as egregious as
Pitman or even as Ebukom, the offseason before, which I'll never stop talking about.
But I do think it's one that you really need to look at if you're the Colts.
And especially when like Jermaine Pratt came in here and he was just so much better than Franklin.
And like he's he's still limited, but don't get me wrong.
Like Pratt is very limited.
But he looks so much better in the system.
He just looked faster.
He looked more impactful.
Fewer downs as well in terms of ups and downs.
He just didn't have as many bad moments.
like if the option was hey i can cut franklin and use that money i'm saving from cutting him
to re-sign jermaine pratt i think that's a no-brainer because i'd rather have pratt than
franklin right now going forward yeah if i were them i would go out and find a linebacker
two that specialized in coverage and was you know above average at identifying run versus
pass because like look at what happened like the the middle of the field for the colts
especially on in-breaking cross stuff, like all that was a nightmare all year.
It never got better.
And like if they're going to, if they're going to be running it back with Lou Aniruma,
I mean, he might get hired as a head coach somewhere.
He's got a couple interviews at least.
But like if they're running it back with Lou Aniruma,
they have got to get real about the linebacker position and who actually fits the defense.
Yeah, no, for sure.
I think you've got to have not this like half overhaul, like they had this past
season, right?
where we got Warden, we got Bynum, but we still want you to have my guys in Franklin
and Jalen Jones and Juju Brenz was on the roster going, like, I still need my guys in
there.
These guys don't fit.
We need to overhaul this system for it to work.
So I'm curious to see how much of that change really happens.
But coming up, guys, there are some other big contracts on the books for the Colts, a couple
other notable roster decisions.
We're going to look at a couple other contracts that the Colts could look to move or depart
with in this off season.
Friday's already feel different during basketball season, and Fandall is making them even better.
Every Friday night before the game's tip-off, Fandall gives fans a new way to kick off the weekend with NBA Happy Hour.
NBA Happy Hour is your official pregame, a limited time window where special offers drop right inside the Fandle app before the action starts.
Fridays from 6 to 7.30 Eastern have become appointment viewing with NBA Happy Hour.
Opening the Fandle app during Happy Hour always brings.
bring something new, boosts, bonuses, and surprises.
It's easy to check the weekly special before tip-off and make a move before the window closes.
The timing is perfect, right before the games, right before the weekend starts.
It adds extra energy to the Friday night basketball without overthinking it.
So before tip-off, check the Fandul app and see what's dropping during NBA Happy Hour.
Every Friday from 6 to 7.30 p.m. Eastern, a little basketball, a little action, and a whole lot of Friday
energy. That's NBA Happy Hour, only on Fandle, the official sportsbook partner of the NBA.
All right, welcome back every dayers. We are creating opportunities for the Colts to save more money
because they have millions and billions of dollars to work with that Zach and I don't. So we
are spending other people's money, but we're also getting them more money. So we talked about
how Michael Pittman Jr. and Zire Franklin are two glaring opportunities for them to create money.
shed salary cap where the production doesn't really fit the value and then we've got a handful of
more more opportunities here and there's a lot of context to each of these so two guys with
serious injuries to end the season de force buckner and mooney ward so mooney ward already
told us to our faces on monday he's not sure if he's retiring or not so like that's very much that's
very much in the air. He had an Instagram post that even furthered that that made it seem like
he's got a foot out the door. And a lot of the times with these guys, if they're considering
retirement that much, they're usually done. I'm not going to make a decision for him, though. He could
change his mind. That's maybe just how he's feeling now. But he did say if he gets like one more
concussion, he's probably going to retire. So just call it there. Exactly. So with Mooney Ward, you got
a $20.2 million cap hit next year.
You can let him make his decision or you can make your decision and say, hey, we got this
guy who are paying $20 million a year.
We need you bought in or bought out.
You know what I mean?
So, and I respect him whatever he chooses.
I don't think he's pulling a fast one on anyone.
This is just a crappy situation that no one could foresee coming.
another guy who the Colts were really relying on this year and the injuries have really started
take a toll in these last two years now three stints on IR in the last two years to Forrest Buckner
he's got the second highest cap hit 26.6 million now that's not a guy you cut you do not cut
DeForest Buckner that's like that's a guy who's just he's royalty in the building you
kind of let him do what he wants but do you work with the money a little bit?
bit like what happens but at the same time that neck injury two of them like with like re-aggregating
that neck injury that's that's serious business right there yeah uh so de force buckner i mean
you don't really know what that looks like next year either yeah i i will be up front like i'm not
the best cap expert for my understanding though with those two contracts there's not really any way
to make up that money for the colts unless they go hard after the signing bonuses that are already
paid out to these players. So say both of them do retire this all season, which I think is a
real possibility with these two guys. The Colts really can't recoup much money. Like they're
going to be on the books. Like I think they would save like five to six million at best. Now they
could post June 1st that and spread out the money between this year and next year. But then you
add problems for next year's caps. So I there's not really much you can save with those contracts.
Those are just ones that you have to be aware of, I guess, going forward. There's really nothing
you can do with those two contracts. So whatever decision they make, if they decide to come back,
you might as well keep them because no one's trading for them and you can't really cut them because
there's, you know, there's no money to be gained. But if they retire, you still kind of are on
the book for that money. I will say one more contract that the Colts are almost certainly going
to touch this offseason because it just makes the most sense. They'll extend Quentin Nelson
at some point this offseason and free up a lot of cap space by doing that. We don't have that in our
notes here, Jake, but Quentin Nelson's going into last year of his contract. You extend him
and you can free a ton of cap space with the signing bonus and stuff there. So those are like
the big money ones on there. Quentin Nelson, once he gets his extension, will free up a good
$50 to $20 million for the Colts as well. So that's another way to free it up. But I think when
we're looking at guys that they can realistically like touch the money or kind of move the contracts,
the big three after all the guys we've talked about are Grover Stewart, Kenny Moore, and Anthony
Richardson. I'm going to be straight up right here. Anthony Richardson's not coming back to the
Colts in any capacity next year. The Colts, I think, would, yeah, I think when they make that
trade and get him to another team, I think the Colts would save around $5 million against the cap with that
one. So I think that one's already said and done. It's just when it's going to happen and how much
they get for them. Hopefully they can get like a fifth, but we'll see with that one. Kenny Moore,
they don't really save a ton with his that they were to cut him because of that restructure they did in the
middle of the season. So I think he'll probably be back, but I think there are questions,
good questions to be had about his fit in this system and how much he struggled in man
coverage this year. And then the most interesting one, I think, is Grover Stewart,
because they have such an out in his contract where I think they could cut him and save
$12 million dollars versus only $2 million in dead cap. And if you can reallocate that to a $12
million edge rusher, that might be more worthwhile for your team. But on the other hand,
Grover Stewart's really good. He probably had his most impactful season to date,
had multiple turnovers force from the nose tackle position this year.
Like, honestly, I wouldn't be opposed to like a two-year extension from him. And then you
can just push some of the money to the future. I know everyone wants that firm reset,
but Grover Stewart is always going to be an asset to any team, regardless of a rebuilding
or not. But I think those are interesting contracts to look at from the Colts perspective.
I don't know if they touch those ones. I don't think those are as pressing to really touch.
than the Pittman and Desire Franklin, then obviously the Quentin Nelson extension that we'll get.
But I think those are certainly on the table for being like a discussion.
I mean, Richardson's going to get moved at some point.
But the other two, I think, are interesting for this conversation.
Yeah.
And this comment here asks, you know, they make the point that Anthony's on a rookie deal.
So how much really could he be making?
Well, he's got a $10.8 million hit.
Yeah.
He's on a top five pick rookie deal.
Yeah.
So that's a little different.
Yeah.
Yeah, and there is incentive for a team to trade for him because if he comes in, they like what they see from him.
Then they can pick up the fifth year options and do what they want from there.
So there is an incentive for a team to trade for that contract for sure.
Somebody will take it because at 10.8, that's not that expensive for a backup quarterback.
And heck, if you start him, then that's really not expensive for a starting quarterback.
So somebody will trade for Richardson.
He won't be on the Colts this next season at all, though.
Yeah.
All right, guys.
So, yeah, if last year was the, the off season of actually signing significant for agents,
we think this off season ought to be the one of shedding, you know, dead weight on salary cap space.
And this is the year, if, man, like, they talked about complacency and bringing in new blood
and competition and stuff last year.
That's got to continue every year.
That cannot be something that's just a one-time thing.
Look what the Eagles do.
the Eagles hurt feelings constantly they get rid of guys they win Super Bowls with and who like have deep roots there like winning teams don't care and they just go ahead and do it and I think that's what the Colts have got to do this year there is money on the line and it you got to pay to play and this team you have to try by any means necessary to get where you want to go and get this thing turned around having more money is certainly a way to start that yeah and then pure prediction here for me with all these things that we talked about I
will say Pitman traded Franklin. That's going to be the toughest projection here. If they're
serious this offseason, they cut that contract. We'll see if they actually are, but I think they should
cut that contract. Mooney, probably a retirement, and maybe you spread that out, but you just deal with
that. And then Grover, I don't think they touch that contract. If they do, it would be an extension.
Quentin Nelson, I think will be an extension. And Anthony, I believe they will trade off of that
contract and I think that'll be the big moves they make to create some cap space now from there it's
about signing out at pierce signing daniel jones maybe like a germane pratt neville gallimore getting those
guys back as well and then doing anything you can to get the edge rush room better because i think
that's going to be the number one priority for this team this off season is fixing the edge rush room
they only they only have two guys coming back currently under contract in lay out to lot to and
jt two and a low wow so they're going to need more edge rush bodies in here and i hope they're not resigning
and the guys they just had.
So they're going to need more guys there
and then maybe some linebacker stuff after that.
But that's all we have for today, guys.
We'll have more conversations
about all this offseason stuff in the future.
We want to say thank you, though,
for tuning in today and every day to Locked on Colts.
We'll be back tomorrow to continue breaking down this offseason.
So make sure you subscribe and follow Lockedon Colts.
So you get all the latest episodes.
If you don't already, make sure you're following out Lockdown Colts
at Jake Arthur, NFL, and at Zach Hicks, too,
all on social media.
And if you never miss any episode,
the everyday air club is built for you get locked on colts ad free plus members only discord access
and more head to locked on colts dot supercast.com to join the club and for those of you on video
we're going to direct you over to the first ever 24-7 national NBA YouTube channel on audio
make sure you're checking out locked on NFL podcast as your next listen thank you guys again
for joining today's episode and we'll check you out back here again tomorrow afternoon
