Colts' Julian Blackmon Details Why He Re-Signed in Indy, Safety Market

Indianapolis Colts safety Julian Blackmon wants to be back in Indy but also wants to prove he deserves a long-term deal.

Indianapolis Colts safety Julian Blackmon (32) runs down field after intercepting a pass. / Jenna Watson/IndyStar / USA TODAY

When free agency started in the middle of March, the Indianapolis Colts worked quickly to retain their own.

Guys like Michael Pittman Jr., Grover Stewart, and Kenny Moore II all received long-term extensions that placed them toward the top of their positions. Even Zaire Franklin, who had one year left of his deal, received an extension that paid him toward the top of the linebacker market.

The Colts continued to bring back other players, but one remained on the market far longer than the rest. Eventually, Julian Blackmon found his way back to Indy. The safety returns to the Colts on a one-year deal worth up to $7.7 million with $3.2 million guaranteed.

“This was home, and this is the place where it started and this is the place I want to finish if I can," Blackman said when asked what led him back to Indy. "Everybody knows how free agency went this year for safeties. We just wanted to be patient with the whole process and we were able to come up with something that everybody was happy with.”

This offseason was the first chance Blackmon had to experience free agency. He was looking to cash in on a long-term deal after experiencing the best season of his career. In 15 games, Blackmon racked up 88 tackles, five tackles for loss, four interceptions, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and eight passes defended.

But the market for safeties never took off. There was an oversaturation of players at the position, as many teams chose to let their safeties test the market or cut them for more cap space. The result was too many safeties looking for new teams and not enough need from teams to dish out big contracts to them.

Sound familiar? To Blackmon, it certainly does. He compared it to another position that received the same fate last season.

Indianapolis Colts safety Julian Blackmon (32) before a game against the Atlanta Falcons. / Robert Scheer/IndyStar / USA TODAY

“I think it was something similar to how it was for the running backs a year ago," Blackmon explained. "It just kind of shows you that you have to always be prepared for anything. It’s one of those things where you can never really truly say that you’ve got it, especially when there is so much talent in the NFL. For me, it was one of those things where I just try to take it for what it was, which this was a unique situation especially going into my first free agency, but like I said luckily I had the right people in my corner to navigate that for me.”

While the market was not as robust as Blackmon had hoped, some players were still being signed to big deals. Xavier McKinney with the Green Bay Packers, C.J. Gardner-Johnson with the Philadelphia Eagles, and Darnell Savage with the Jacksonville Jaguars all signed big-time multi-year deals. It would be hard for Blackmon to not compare himself to those players and think, "Why not me?"

Instead of dwelling on why the market was not developing for him, Blackmon took a different approach. He did not look at social media or check the headlines when another safety was signed. Blackmon just took it one day at a time, trusting the right deal would come.

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"I think honestly the way you deal with it is you try to turn off all the outside noise, try not to look at what everybody else is doing, what everybody else is signing," he said. "Just be where my feet were, like I said once again, I was just able to take care of myself, where I was at home, working out at home and just taking it one day at a time.

"I didn’t really want to get into the comparison mode. It’s easy to compare when you see that everybody else is signing. That’s what I didn’t want to do so I just turned it off – turn off the outside noise and focus on what I could do, which was work.”

Eventually, Blackmon did take visits to other teams throughout the free agency period. He made trips to visit with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. In the end, those trips had an impact on Blackmon and made him realize where he wanted to be all along.

"I think it just broadened my perspective, to be honest," Blackmon remarked. "You see how other teams compete, what makes them winning cultures and honestly that’s what made me want to come back too, at the same time. You see all these other teams that talk about what they have and how they’re in-house. For me, it was like I feel like we have the same thing in Indy. My heart was always like, ‘Okay, well this has been a great process but at the same time I want to continue to build with something that I’ve helped start.’”

Indianapolis Colts safety Julian Blackmon (32) celebrates with teammates after an interception against the Pittsburgh Steelers. / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

After those visits, Blackmon's representation and the Colts re-engaged in talks of an extension. While Blackmon knew the deal would not be what he had hoped for in free agency, he acknowledged that Indy was the best place for him both on and off the field. And while it is only a one-year deal, Blackmon wants to prove he deserves more after the 2024 season.

"After weighing it with my family and after talking it over and over with my agent and everybody, this is the place that made the most sense for the next step," Blackmon remarked. "It’s a one-year deal. For me, I feel like my value is worth more than one year but unfortunately we all saw how the market went. It was what I was dealt. I’m happy with how it ended up.”

Ultimately, the deal has a chance to be a win for both sides. For Blackmon, if he can earn the full $7.7 million, that total will be the third-most earned by any safety in the 2024 free agent class. He will also likely be a hot commodity as a free agent in 2025 and more likely to land a big deal.

For the Colts, they plug a hole that would have been a glaring weakness on their defense had Blackmon not returned. Outside of Blackmon, the Colts' safety room has the likes of Nick Cross, Rodney Thomas II, Daniel Scott, and Trevor Denbow. While Cross and Thomas have shown promise, neither is proven, and both fit the free safety role better than strong safety. With Blackmon back, the strong safety position is covered.

For Blackmon to reach that full $7.7 million, he will have to play all of the games. Blackmon has had injury issues throughout his four-year career, never playing a full season of games. Being able to play all 17 games at a high level will allow Blackmon to take his game to the next level.

"I would say the next step is honestly to finish," Blackmon commented. "I feel like I’ve started out strong and I’ve gotten to the end, but I haven’t finished. For me, I think that everybody else knows it too, one of the things that I want to do is play 17 games. I think that, more than just from a leadership aspect, I think being on the field for my teammates is something that I want to be able to do.”

The market may not have been what he had wanted, but Blackmon has a great opportunity ahead of him. Ball out in 2024, and he will likely receive the contract he was looking for. Who knows, it may even be right here in Indy, where it all started.

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