Should Colts Consider Trading Michael Pittman Jr. this Offseason?

Should the Indianapolis Colts consider what other teams have done recently and trade their young star receiver heading into a contract year?

The Indianapolis Colts have the fourth pick in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft on April 27. However, the Chicago Bears hold the top spot, where many pundits and draft analysts alike have theorized that the Colts will be willing to trade in order to “get their guy” at quarterback.

We’ve heard certain player names involved, but one sticks out that could fit Chicago; wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. The Colts' top receiver is also entering a contract year, wherein he could be in line for a new deal averaging north of $20 million per year.

In this scenario, let’s take a look at a couple of past occurrences of such trades and why the Colts should tread cautiously if this has been in the minds of anyone in the front office.

Let’s go back to last year. Two trades that would decimate the respective offenses of the teams that would make them were the Baltimore Ravens dealing off Marquise Brown to the Arizona Cardinals and the Tennessee Titans trading away the destroyer of secondaries himself, A.J. Brown, to the Philadelphia Eagles.

These trades put both offenses in difficult positions in 2022 without their respective number-one receivers. While the Ravens trading Hollywood Brown to the Cardinals for the 23rd pick was a setback in 2022, it didn’t remotely compare to how bad of a trade it was for the Titans with A.J. Brown.

Brown was far more valuable than the Titans thought at the time, trading him away to the Eagles to avoid giving him a payday in exchange for the 18th and 101st overall picks. Yes, he inked a massive four-year, $100 contract, but it was the Titans who would be a shell of themselves without him.

Similar to the Colts, the Titans love to implement a strong ground game with Derrick Henry. With Brown, play action was a deadly weapon with Henry attacking in the trenches and Brown taking the top off of defenses. In 2021, the Titans were 24th in pass yards (Brown had 869 of their 3,418 yards through 13 games), 5th in rushing yards (2,404), and 13th in points per game (24.6).

Once the Brown trade kicked through and the 2022 year ended, the 7-10 Titans weren’t even close to the previous years’ numbers. In 2022, they were 30th in pass yards (2,914), 13th in rushing yards (2,131), and 29th in points per game (17.5). Yes, the Titans had quarterback injuries, but they also had to rely on Robert Woods and rookie Treylon Burks to shoulder the load, and it didn’t work as they had hoped.

The Colts will be hiring a new coaching regime and drafting a rookie quarterback and need to keep every weapon they can. Pittman has occasionally been classified as “not a true number-one” receiver. How can you be with five quarterbacks throwing to you through your first three years?

Pittman has still put up great numbers and with a consistent signal-caller can be a true number-one, especially given the young talent the Colts possess in wide receivers Alec Pierce and free agent Parris Campbell as well as tight end Jelani Woods.

The Colts said they’d be willing to do whatever it takes to take their next quarterback if they truly believe in the selection. However, whether or not the Colts and general manager Chris Ballard decide to press the button on a trade for the number-one pick, they should not be issuing Pittman into the deal or they could end up like the Ravens and Titans.

The Colts need to heed the lessons of last year and not fall into the same trap. “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it,” should be ringing through the front office in Indianapolis on this scenario for the entire offseason.  

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