2018 Colts Free Agent Decisions: Wide Receiver Donte Moncrief
By Andrew Ites
Donte Moncrief’s rookie contract is over at the end of the season, and his future with the Colts is up in the air.
Donte Moncrief has had an up-and-down career in Indianapolis, and now it is time for the Colts’ front office to decide if he is a part of their plan going forward.
He had a solid rookie year with 444 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns in 2014, and followed that up with a very promising second season with 733 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2015.
A mixture of injuries and instability at the quarterback situation have caused Moncrief’s production to slip over the past two years. He’s been held under 400 yards in each of the past two seasons, although he did manage to haul in 7 touchdowns in 2016.
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Moncrief has only been able to play in 21 games over the past two seasons after playing in all 32 regular season games during the first two years of his career.
The Colts’ front office has to determine whether Moncrief is worth a contract extension, and what the value of that contract should be if they decide to offer him one. He will likely hit the open market for the first time in his career, and it’s difficult to tell how much interest Moncrief will create from the 31 other NFL teams.
Indianapolis doesn’t have much talent behind Moncrief on the current roster, so they would have to add some wide receivers in the draft or free agency if they decide to let him walk.
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Moncrief’s disappointing couple of seasons could allow the Colts to get him at a discount, or they could prove that he’s undeserving of a contract extension. This type of mystery is why general manager Chris Ballard gets paid the big bucks.