Will Colts Extend Key Players?

Although the Indianapolis Colts have several players set to become free agents in March, a fair argument could be made that All-Pros Quenton Nelson and Darius Leonard have earned extensions before the final years of their deals.

INDIANAPOLIS — The reality of the Indianapolis Colts roster is there are too many good players at the end of contracts, which means general manager Chris Ballard can’t re-sign as many as he prefers.

But perhaps the more important question, when looking at the Colts situation with the salary cap, will Ballard give extensions to core players?

Specifically, offensive left guard Quenton Nelson and linebacker Darius Leonard have been All-Pros in each of their three seasons. Both are entering contract years, although the Colts have a fifth-year option on Nelson for 2022.

In Ballard’s recent season-review video call, he wouldn’t divulge if Nelson, Leonard, or other players who have out-performed their contracts such as right tackle Braden Smith and running back Nyheim Hines could get extended.

The Colts gave lucrative deals to Pro Bowl center Ryan Kelly before 2020 and to defensive tackle Grover Stewart in November. Ballard indirectly referred to how the team is committed to its core players.

“Just by our past actions, I think you know we want to take care of our own,” Ballard said.

Quenton Nelson has been an All-Pro in each of his three years :: Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports

The good news is the Colts are projected to have $69.5 million in cap space, according to spotrac.com, which puts the team among the league leaders. They can afford to take care of Nelson and Leonard, for example.

The tricky part is how much money can be spent on extensions while still needing to address other positions, most notably quarterback. Philip Rivers retired and the Colts are considering several veteran replacements. They have the 21st overall pick in the first round, so drafting the right fit seems unlikely. Plus Ballard, head coach Frank Reich, and owner Jim Irsay have reiterated the belief that this team is close to contending for a Super Bowl after improving four wins to 11-5 and losing an AFC Wild Card Playoff game at Buffalo.

“Mike Bluem, who is outstanding and handles all our cap stuff and makes us looks good in that area, we’ll wait and see what the final cap number is,” Ballard said, “but I’ll tell you this, we plan out on a three-year basis, both from a cash and cap standpoint. We think we’re in really good shape right now.

“The market is going to change a little bit. We’re used to the cap rising every year and now it’s not. Everybody’s going to have to adjust. All 32 teams are going to have to adjust. I think we’ll have a plan that will be able to do the right thing by our players internally but also bring back some of the guys.”

Ballard, who is about to enter his fifth year at the Colts helm, has managed the cap well. It would make sense to pick up the fifth-year option on Nelson in May, which would give the team another year before agreeing to an extension that would make him the NFL’s highest-paid offensive guard. That said, the highest-paid guards earned $14 million last season. Nelson will set the new bar.

Linebacker Darius Leonard has 416 tackles in three years :: Trevor Ruszkowski/USA TODAY Sports

Leonard has been a tackle machine since entering the league as a second-round pick. “The Maniac” has amassed 416 tackles, 15 sacks, seven interceptions, nine forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries in three years. He deserves to be paid as much as anyone at his position. Seattle’s Bobby Wagner has that distinction for the moment at $18 million per season. The next four players average roughly $15 million per season.

As Ballard alluded, he has to decide on which players set to become free agents that he wants to keep. The list includes wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, defensive end Justin Houston, wide receiver Zach Pascal, defensive end Denico Autry, cornerback Xavier Rhodes, linebacker Anthony Walker, and safety George Odum. The latter made his first Pro Bowl in 2020 after leading the league in special-teams tackles.

“Look, you want to bring back all of them,” Ballard said. “They’re all good guys. They’re all good football players. But that’s not realistic. They’ve got to want to be back. And, two, you’ve got to be able to meet from a contract standpoint and financially to bring ‘em back.

“I tell every one of our players this. Their careers are short. They’re hard. And financially, they need to do the best they can do. And we want them to do good. We pour everything we can into player development and our players being the best they can be. There’s a point when change happens and their contracts are up and they’re going to have a chance to hit the market. Well, look, if another team offers more money than we do, good for him.”

That’s not ideal, but based on cap limitations, good teams typically have too many solid players to retain them all.

“I mean sometimes I get pissed about it because I don’t want to lose the player,” Ballard said, “but I’m always able to take a step back and say, ‘OK, we’ve done our job and the player has done his job, and he and his family deserve to be rewarded.”