Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS 1/8/20: Where do the Colts stand in salary cap for an important offseason?

Episode Date: January 9, 2020

Kyle Rapoza, or @ColtscapKyle on Twitter, joined the show today to go over the Colts' salary cap scenarios as we approach the 2020 offseason. Should we expect any free agents to return? What about looming extensions?We also talk about if Chris Ballard will use his 2020 draft assets to move up for a QB. If not, take Jordan Love at 13? What about BPA at 13 then trading back up? All options are definitely on the table.Closing the show, we go over Jacoby Brissett and what Kyle would do in free agency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, everybody. Welcome back into your latest episode of Locked on Colts, pretty locked on podcast network. Today's guest is Evan Sider. A very special guest today, first time on the show. Kyle Raposa, as you know, may be on Colts Twitter as ColtsCapKyle. I think he's one of the more insightful followers because he really knows the ins and outs of the salary cap and really what the Colts can do with their money and how flexible it can be.

So, Kyle, how are you doing today? Good. How are you? Doing good. Appreciate the time. And I wanted to dive right into it as far as the salary cap goes. I've seen different variables as salary cap figures for what the Colts have this offseason. I've seen around $100 million, $90 million. What are the Colts officially at as far as cap days goes? Yeah, so for my numbers, I rolled over to 2020 already and mine is actually a little bit lower when I'm working with them, what you've seen published because they actually have three guys.

So I'm at 88.6 million currently. Okay. No, I definitely know that. Yeah. How I got to that is basically, so the number you see, um,

the Colt had three players, uh, Anthony Walker, Marlon Mack, and Grover Stewart all reached what's called a proven performance escalator. So their base salary is actually rising from the minimum, which is $735,000, to what is the low-level restricted free agent tender. So it actually bumps up to $2.15 million.

So I'm already accounting for that, where that doesn't officially kind of go until the new league year starts. Well, that is interesting, and that really shows you a little bit what could happen there. And, I mean, as Colts fans also expect here, Kyle, that Anthony Costanzo domino is going to fall one way or another. If he does indeed decide to stay around for another year or two, what do you expect as far as a yearly salary cap figure for Costanzo?

That's going to take a good chip amount of that salary away yeah that's a huge variable um I mean I was I had been projecting him before the year to kind of come in somewhere around what Joe Staley's deal was because it's kind of hard to predict not many left tackles you know get monster deals into their 30s uh Staley and Andrew Whitworth so the Rams are kind of the two previously to have, but we're probably looking at him getting somewhere around 15, 16 million, which is the top of the market, assuming he does come back and he will resign likely if he chooses to keep playing. But it's going to be right near the top there.

Yeah, I would expect probably more so like a two or three-year deal with Costanzo. I don't expect a longer-term deal deal with Costanzo I don't expect a longer term deal because if Costanzo is already away in retirement then I don't expect him to be around a really long term after that because if that creeps into your mind it usually happens sooner or later but Kyle where do you lean on Costanzo because if he does retire that's going to be a huge need all of a sudden for the Colts and they might have to take a left tackle there at 13 instead of a quarterback yeah definitely that's you know it'd be a major the only other player they really have on the roster is also a free agent that they haven't played tackle for Raven Clark and

you know you're probably looking at a minimum deal there even if they choose to bring him back so that's that becomes a huge need um yeah you either go rookie or you know they make there isn't the free I've been looking at a lot of the free agent lists lately, and there's not a lot there as far as the tackles. And the ones that are there are right tackles, which the Colts don't really need. Yeah, what do you think about the idea of, because I know the Colts have a lot of money,

and I imagine there will be a lot of trade ideas for them this offseason. If Costanza does retire and Trent Williams doesn't want to play for the Redskins, would you approach them about something alongside a guy like Trent Williams? Maybe he can fill that void a little bit. Maybe. That kind of falls almost in line with the quarterback question where, you know, do they go for somebody who's

on the over the later end of their career because that's another over 30-year-old player at that position. So that's a tough bit. Left tackle is, you know, very important. One name just looking at free agent lists that I, you know, kind of pops up to me is, I won't pronounce it right, but Hyloti Vitae from the Eagles is a pending free agent.

And he was starting left tackle, I believe, when Frank Reich was there and they won the Super Bowl. I think it's Peters who started that year. So that was kind of a one idea outside of the draft that's kind of popped in my mind as a possibility there. I actually like that. That could make a lot of sense if it does happen. Let's say Costanza does retire in the next month,

and they don't like the draft, or those three guys, Wurfs, Wills, and Andrew Thomas aren't available at 13. You might see something like that as a stopgap option. I think that makes a lot of sense as far as the idea Kyle just gave there. But what else do you expect as far as free agency goes, Kyle? With this amount of money, extension season is approaching for us. I imagine very soon for guys like Ryan Kelly, Marlon Mack. Marlon Mack's really a debate I've seen on Colts Twitter a little bit too.

Do you extend a running back? I really think that Chris Ballard will reward Marlon Mack this year. He's going to be really good behind the offensive line. Is there anyone else you expect as far as extensions, how much that would chip in? Would that at all impact their salary cap for this upcoming March? Not really. So Kelly is already – he's on his fifth-year option,

so he's due to make $10.3 million, and that's really close to the highest-paid center already, even though it's just on a one-year thing. So if he's, you know, when he likely signs his deal, he'll be probably pretty close to, if not the highest-paid center in the NFL, but you're looking at about $11, $11.5 million, so it wouldn't change a whole lot there. Mack, I think, you know, it does make a lot of sense to give him that extension.

It's not a bad idea to pay a running back, as long as it's not what Todd Gurley and Zeke and them are making. You can find them, but as long as he fits in, I early started looking at it and I project him somewhere around a little below maybe Devontae Freeman, which at one point was behind

the running back market, but if you did something like maybe three years, $21 million or along that range, that's a pretty reasonable deal for mac and still takes care of them pretty well for running back um as far as other players that could get extensions not really i mean depending on how everything shakes out when you're looking at players expiring in 2020 maybe t.y is the next one that kind of jumps out because, you know, I've heard him say before he wants to finish his career in India after this contract.

And, you know, if he maybe tacks three, four more years onto that, it's just an idea of how high that number goes. What do you think about a guy like Anthony Walker, Kyle? Because I feel like he's a really interesting case study for this upcoming year. Maybe he could be the new Costanza or the Jabal. Sure, doesn't he get extended against the play up to free agency, but I feel like he might be a guy that's flying under the radar as far as a possible extension because I believe he's now extension eligible. He is.

It's a really interesting one. I think the team really likes him. It's just a matter of how they get all these linebackers they have on the field, which is a big problem. Bobby Okereke. Walker had a really But, you know, Bobby Okereke. Walker had a really underrated season, but Bobby Okereke really came on and he's going to be pushing for playing time next year. And there just isn't a lot of space to give it to everybody. So it'll be interesting to see what they do with Walker. You know, he'd be worth an extension, but you do have other players that,

you know, under contract longer that you could fill that void with. I think another interesting question I wanted to ask you Kyle just as far as free agency goes if Costanzo does retire let's say he does that's or he comes back that's one guy that's returning but they already extended Jack Doyle's he's already off the free agent Marcus I'm not counting him here is there anyone else you expect to be re-signed this offseason because I'm looking at the list now and I don't see them really bringing anyone back off this list. I think Chris Bauer hinted at it in his press conference that there's going to be a lot of reshuffling on the roster.

I feel like not a lot of these guys are going to come back, and I don't even think Jabal Shearer will come back either. Yeah, probably not. The only thing would be maybe one of the low-level, one of the backup offensive linemen, just because there's very little depth there re-signed. You know, you have the four starters other than Costanzo all in the contract. But other than that,

there's really nobody else on the roster for 2020 that has played, you know, been on a 53-man roster before. Other than, you know, Jake Elgin. Can't spend one game on the roster. So there's not a lot of depth there. So if they, you know they made Joe Hague a really high-paid backup

or Josh Andrews just on a fairly low-level deal, they seem to like those guys. But those are really the only ones. Other than that, probably not many of them. Guys, let's have a chat real quick. Remember the days when you're always ready to go? Now you can increase performance, get that extra confidence in bed. Listen up.

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Yeah, I really think, just looking ahead at the draft here for a second, I know some people really want Jabal Shearer to come back. I don't think that's going to happen, just like Kyle mentioned. I think there's younger options out there in the draft, like A.J. Pinesa from Iowa, I think, as a really good option at 13. But also, Kamoko Torre and Ben Banigou. I just feel like, at this point, it's time to move on from Jabal Shearer, because I imagine he's going to want to get his one last big contract here before he retires.

Where do you land on Shearer, Kyle? Because I know that's been a debate I've seen a little bit. Yeah, it's a tough one. He's a solid player. I project him probably somewhere around I wouldn't mind him on a two-year $16 million deal, which is kind of in line with what he was making now, but that's a spot where just it makes sense to go and kind of upgrade. Before, his numbers were down quite a bit this year, even though, you know, we all noticed he made an impact upon returning. But if you look at, you know, in the stat sheet,

his numbers are down quite a bit in the last two years with the Goulds. And that's a spot where, you know, one of the deeper spots in free agency is the defensive line from what I've seen so far. Yeah, I really think that either free and two-year draft, they're going to upgrade out of that spot. And Jabal Sheard might be the odd man out there. Like you said, the production wasn't there this year. He still had around the same amount of sex as Kamoka Ture.

And he only played around five games this year Ture did. And I think that's going to be a really big area they're going to go after this off season. But anything else, Kyle, as far as free agency goes, do you expect the Colts to change their idea as far as free agency being more aggressive with all this money? Because let's say they do draft a quarterback like a Jordan Love or a Justin Herbert at 13, or they take one in the second or third round,

you're going to have a guy in a rookie deal for the next three or four years guaranteed. Do you think maybe Ballard does use this year to be like his final splash as far as getting maybe one or two premier outside guys in free agency? Because once you have Darius Leonard's contract and Quinn Nelson's contract in the books here in the next year or two, that's going to eat up a lot of that cap. Yeah, I think they should.

I've mentioned before that I think they need an offseason really similar to what the packers did last year where they you know they identified an area they really need to improve and they went hard and got preston smith is very smart adrian amos and a couple other guys and they you know those guys really worked out you know everyone doesn't always work out like that but um you know ballard said he's going to stick to his philosophy and what he does but they've been in on those guys before they just haven um you know ballard said he's going to stick to his philosophy and what he does but they've been in on those guys before they just haven't you know went that extra little bit to kind of really secure somebody so um you know i think they he's not going to tip his hand but i think they may this may be the year where they are a little more aggressive just because they

they have to they have to have to show improvement next year. Who are some of those names that make sense to you, Kyle, as far as if Ballard wants to get a little more aggressive in free agency as far as top free agents go? I feel like Yannick Ngakwe makes a lot of sense, but I feel like it's going to be a bidding war with teams like Miami and Buffalo involved too. Byron Jones is the one I keep coming back to. I know they like Pierre Desir,

but he has no dead cap on his contract this year and the year after, so they can easily cut him this year or after the 2020 season. I think he makes a lot of sense with Ibra Flucin and his connections, but where do you land as far as maybe the top three aides go and do you think the Colts go after those kind of guys? Yeah, Byron Jones makes a lot of sense, especially with the connection to Dallas. And it's just unlikely they have the money to pay him because they're more than likely going

to pay Dak and Amari Cooper or not let them escape the most those are going to be very costly for them other than that the defensive line is actually very deep in free agency depending on you know there's still room for team three sign players but um there's guys like I see at least five guys I think had double digit sacks this year at defensive end Dante Fowler I don't really see Clowney sitting

but Eric Armstead Shaq Barrett and Gackley you know there's a lot there and then there's also a lot of defensive tackle

there's another cowboy that I've kind of had my eye on and that's Malik Collins he could fit that like three technique role

but there's also you know Javon hargrave chris jones if he hits the market uh jordan phillips had a really good year with uh in buffalo so there's a lot of good options out there you know assuming those guys hit the market to upgrade up the line committing over here to the draft for a second kyle i don't know if you've really diving in a lot to college guys i don't know if you've really dived in a lot to college guys. I don't know if you've done a lot of that. But where do you land as far as the Colts

and what they should do at 13? And then you have a pick again at the top of the second round this year with 34. That was a really good trade in hindsight by Ballard there. Then you have four picks total in the top 75. A lot of ammo this year. Maybe the most ammo Ballard will ever get

if he does want to go after a quarterback. Yeah, I mean, not only from that they need it badly, but from a salary cap standpoint, there's nothing better than having your quarterback on a rookie scale deal. I think they really need to identify who that guy is and be aggressive and get him. That's assuming they like somebody. Don't reach.

You never want to do that because that sets you back. But if they fall for, you know, basically in the borough, they have the ammo to go get them. So I think they need to do that. And then, you know, depending who that is and how aggressive they need to be,

they need playmakers. I think, you know, they definitely did wide receivers, very deep in this draft. And there's a lot of great guys there. And then they need a tight end at some point. I, you know, I haven't heard a lot about it, so I don't know if it's very deep in this draft. There's a lot of great guys there. And then they need a tight end at some point. I haven't heard a lot about it, so I don't know if it's very deep in this draft quite yet. I think we'll hear a lot more after the

Senior Bowl and combine and all that, but I think they need another tight end similar to that Ebron role because clearly he's going to be not there anymore. As far as the draft goes, Kyle, and I feel like overall with this Colts team, they're so confident in Chris Bauer because he's such a good eye for talent. But how important do you think this draft class is for this Colts team? Because this feels like the year that if it's going to be a quarterback, I feel like it has to be early. But this could be one of those draft classes that really Chris Bauer ties his hip to as far as looking five years down the line.

If let's say a quarterback X fails and doesn't do his job, Chris Bauer ties his hip to as far as looking five years down the line if let's say a quarterback x fail fails and doesn't do his job Chris Bauer's probably have a job too and this whole operation goes to kaput yeah absolutely I mean that's the hard part is if he doesn't find the quarterback uh you know they're likely not going to take that step forward and he may be you know on the hot seat and if you don't hit the quarterback, you're off in the same place. But, you know, we all trust Ballard and believe that he's going to find the right guy. So I think that, you know, whoever that is, I think that's why I think they really just need to be aggressive and go get whoever that guy is.

What's been your thoughts, Kyle, on Jacoby Brissett this year? Because I know you had a good first half of the year, but second half of the year obviously did not go well at all for him. Four touchdowns, three interceptions last eight games. Where do you land on Jacoby as far as the Colts and the quarterback need? Yeah, I just think unfortunately, he is who we thought him to be over time. The season as it wore on reminded me just a lot of 2017 where he you know he came out and was playing well and you know looked at promise and then it kind of the more people got

tape on him and things that unfortunately went downhill and only got worse as the season went on and this year felt really similar um but it you know when they were five and two a lot of us and then you know we heard the coaching staff and ch Ballard say that they weren't as good as what the record said they were. The point differential made them look more like a 500 team, and that's really pretty close to where they ended up. Yeah, and I really think as far as this year goes, we learned a lot about really how close this Colts team is. I don't think they're a Super Bowl contender overnight next year. I think it's probably going to be a

two or three year process from where their window could have been because I think if they truly did have Andrew Luck, this would have been a first round buy type of team just because Luck was, I think, entering into his prime. But unfortunately, Luck has moved on. He won't be coming back. But Kyle, if you had the GM hat on you, put it on you for this offseason instead

of Chris Ballard, how would you go about spending all this money? If I were in charge charge I'd probably find you know like zero in on two or three guys probably three spots and go aggressive and get them uh you know if I had to pick the players I'd probably get you know if I had to pick two names out, I'd say Austin Hooper, like a tight end, either him or Hunter Henry. I think they need a real receiving threat at tight end. One of those defensive tackles, like a Chris Jones or even Malik Collins for a lesser one. And if a pass rusher hits the market, go get them and spend

what you've got to spend for them um if it's in gawk way or if it's dante fowler whoever that is but i think there's you know two spots along the d line and a pass catching option i think they really need a tight end supplement to go in frank like soft that should be a really good long term for there but i think you know find those three guys, go aggressive and get them and have them on building blocks

as your young quarterback grows to make it easier on him. As far as that young quarterback goes, Kyle, we can finish off the show talking about this

for a moment because I think it sounds like you're in favor of going up and getting a quarterback if the Colts have a chance to.

I don't know if Chris Bauer will do that. We haven't seen him do that before. He did on the record say he did like the Mahomes move for Kansas City. So maybe he is aggressive enough to go do that. But what would be the price for, let's say, to get to three with Detroit or eight with Arizona, like places like that

where you'll probably have to leapfrog a couple teams or maybe even get higher than that because the Chargers and the Panthers probably will get new quarterbacks. So there's going to be a lot of quarterback-needy teams up in that top seven. Yeah, to get to like three or four, it's probably honestly going to depend on what two of those medicals come back at. Because if he comes back clean and healthy and can work out sometime before the draft,

no one really knows that at this point. But if he's healthy, that's an elite quarterback level prospect. So you're probably looking at 13, 34, and at least one first-round pick, if not a first and a second more. But in my opinion, you have to do what you got to do. Houston traded their first and next to the following year's first-round pick when they traded up for Watson. And unfortunately, he had an injury his first year

and it ended up being the number four overall pick, but they certainly don't regret it. So I think, you know, if you find that guy and you know who it is and you really want them, you've got to do whatever it takes to get up there and get them. Yeah, I certainly agree with you there. Whether it's going for Justin Herbert, who I'm not really too high on. I actually think Jordan Love is more upset there.

That's why I have him as my quarterback three. But if they go for a guy like Tua Tagovailoa at number three overall, I'm certainly on board with you, Kyle. I think he's the type of guy that fit perfectly in this Colts offense. But I appreciate everyone listening on today's Colts podcast here, Locked on Colts with Colts cap Kyle. As you guys know him on Twitter, Kyle Raposa. Appreciate the time, man.

Yeah, thank you for having me.