Interesting Details Emerge on Colts' DeForest Buckner's New Contract

The Indianapolis Colts have given themselves more flexibility by structuring the contract extension of defensive tackle DeForest Buckner in a unique way.

Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (99). / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

On Monday, the Indianapolis Colts announced a contract extension for defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. Buckner was set to become a free agent after this upcoming season, but the extension added two years to his current deal, keeping him from hitting the open market until the 2027 offseason.

The move continued the overall theme of the Colts’ offseason — prioritizing the retention of their players rather than focusing on outside additions. However, after a closer look at the details of the deal according to Over The Cap, this extension makes Buckner’s deal unlike any other on the Colts roster.

Originally slated to command $22.75 million against the salary cap for the upcoming season, Buckner's revised extension sees that figure significantly slashed to $8.35 million. This was achieved by adding two void years to the end of the deal.

Colts fans would be forgiven for not being familiar with void years as this new contract for Buckner is the only current Colts contract to include them. They are essentially placeholder years that allow signing bonuses to be spread out over a longer period, thereby lessening the immediate financial burden. This marks a departure from the Colts' previous contractual strategies and hints at a nuanced shift in the team's financial philosophy under Chris Ballard.

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In Buckner’s case, these void years are providing cap relief for this season specifically. In 2024, his cap hit will be $8.35 million compared to the $26.6 million in each of the following two seasons. An additional $7.2 million will count against the cap in 2027 after Buckner’s contract expires unless he is re-signed or his contract is restructured before then.

Per OverTheCap, DeForest Buckner's new contract cap hits:

24: $8.3M
25: $26.6M
26: 26.6M
27 (void): $7.2M

Because of the 2 void years added on the back of his contract, the #Colts now have $28.4M in cap space.

Pending move incoming? 👀🤔 pic.twitter.com/jugCfoVpwN

— Cody Manning (@CodyTalksNFL) April 17, 2024

The Colts had around $14 million in remaining cap space before this move and are now boasting an estimated $28.4 million available. Roughly $6 million of this figure will be allocated to the incoming rookies to be selected at the end of next week, but this still leaves the Colts with ample space to make additional roster moves if they so desire.

Under Ballard, the Colts generally have not operated with as little available space as they had before this extension, so it is possible that, rather than freeing up space in anticipation of an imminent roster move, this contract structure simply provides the Colts with the flexibility to capitalize on a move that may present itself, either this offseason or after the season has kicked off.

Then again, there were other ways to free up cap space to provide flexibility that didn’t involve pushing financial obligations into future years. With this type of move being such a stark contrast to ways the Colts have handled contracts recently, fans are justified in keeping an eye out for what may come next.

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