The Indianapolis Colts have a lot of decisions to make at some very crucial positions this offseason. Whether through the 2021 NFL draft or free agency, Indy has the opportunity to be an active participant.
When it comes to free agency, general manager Chris Ballard typically lays low through the first wave of signings. He feels it’s best to not overpay or get into a bidding war for the top players—most of the time.
But Pro Football Focus is predicting a pretty big offseason and free agency for the Colts. Among those additions include edge rusher Bud Dupree, quarterback Jameis Winston and tight end Jared Cook. That is to go along with re-signing quarterback Philip Rivers, wide receiver T.Y. Hilton and cornerback Xavier Rhodes.
Here are the predicted contracts for each player from PFF:
- QB Philip Rivers: one year, $25 million (fully guaranteed)
- QB Jameis Winston: one year, $5 million
- WR T.Y. Hilton: three years, $28.5 million ($18 million guaranteed)
- DE Bud Dupree: one year, $10 million ($7.5 million guaranteed)
- CB Xavier Rhodes: three years, $24 million ($14.5 million guaranteed)
- TE Jared Cook: one year, $5 million
That would be an awfully busy offseason and one that would come with some surprises. The Colts had their chance to sign Winston during the 2020 offseason but decided against it and went with Rivers.
The signing of Dupree would be an interesting one. Though he’s coming off a torn ACL, the Colts need help on the edge and he would be a nice addition to the unit assuming his health is in order.
It is a bit interesting to see three-year extensions for both Hilton and Rhodes, both of which should have competitive markets. It isn’t clear if Hilton will sign on with another team while Rhodes should be expected to test the market unless the Colts give him an offer like the one above.
The new league year doesn’t start until March, but it should be a fun offseason leading up to it debating on who the Colts might go after.
