In accordance with Professional Soccer Focus, the Indianapolis Colts have the league’s thirteenth greatest wage cap state of affairs over the following three years (2023-2025)—when contemplating quite a lot of key elements: high 51 veteran valuation, rookie contract gamers, projected efficient cap area, complete prorated cash, and 2023 free agent projections:

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS — RANK: 13

The Colts are a captivating state of affairs to watch in 2023 due to their wide selection of outcomes, with a number of superb gamers both lacking intensive time to harm or just not performing on the high of their talents in 2022. Indianapolis tumbling all the way down to thirtieth in our high 51 veteran valuation will not be as a result of lack of a bunch of marquee free brokers, so in idea they might skyrocket again up the listing.

After the Colts ranked useless final in anticipated factors added per dropback in 2022, new head coach Shane Steichen and presumed franchise quarterback Anthony Richardson can solely go up from right here.

Underneath common supervisor Chris Ballard, the Colts have particularly prevented extensions for ‘good however not particular’ starters and re-signed their high stars—together with mega-extensions for each offensive guard Quenton Nelson and linebacker Shaquille Leonard. They’ve been somewhat fiscally prudent in free company, shying away from long-term contracts all collectively.

That being stated, the Colts just lately did make ex-Rams Professional Bowler Matt Homosexual the best paid kicker in NFL historical past and in addition signed strong starter Samson Ebukam at defensive finish to not an unsubstantial quantity of wage cap area.

One of many greatest wage cap questions going through the Colts is how the franchise plans on dealing with the looming contract expiration for star working again Jonathan Taylor, who’s set to hit free company following the 2023 season.

The league has devalued the working again place, and a lot of the NFL’s high working backs haven’t lived as much as the backend years of their second extensions in current reminiscence. Taylor is coming off a disappointing 2022 season due to an ankle harm, however is only a 12 months faraway from a monstrous speeding marketing campaign with the Colts and is just 24 years previous.

Taylor has a number of mileage from his collegiate days at Wisconsin, but additionally retains his physique in tip-top form, consuming effectively, and even doing yoga for added flexibility—and his lingering ankle harm really restricted a few of the wear-and-tear from this previous season as he had solely 192 complete carries (in comparison with a whopping 332 carries with the Colts a 12 months prior respectively, doubtlessly permitting him to reset bodily following such a heavy workload).

Within the short-term, the Colts might elect to franchise tag Taylor on a year-to-year foundation, stopping the franchise from regretting the previous few years of a profitable long-term deal. Nonetheless, the Colts’ greatest guess could also be to frontload a multi-year contract extension totally, as Taylor figures to have no less than a handful of elite speeding seasons nonetheless left.

In any other case, extensive receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who’s additionally a member of the Colts’ 2020 draft class can also be up for a contract extension. So long as it’s according to his market worth, that figures to be a no brainer for the Colts—as Pittman Jr. has been rock strong and will present a extremely dependable weapon for rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson going ahead.

Lastly, underrated defensive deal with Grover Stewart is ready to turn out to be a free agent following the 2023 marketing campaign, and that’s unquestionably an extension the Colts will wish to get accomplished—as he’s rapidly turn out to be one of many protection’s greatest gamers, run stuffers, and a workforce chief.

The hope is that going through a short-term rebuild, the Colts can rapidly get again into rivalry and reap the benefits of Richardson’s rookie contract—assuming he’s the true deal at QB.

The Colts have accomplished a commendable job of sustaining fairly good, however not essentially nice wage cap wellness for the foreseeable future—as this rating signifies, comparatively talking.