The Colts have a ton of cap room this offseason, and that can be credited to having some quality players on cheap contracts.
The key to building a strong team is adding players who exceed the value of their contracts.
Indianapolis has over $81 million of cap room to spend this offseason, which is the third-highest total in the NFL. However, they still have some major talent on this roster, even though they aren’t spending a ton of money on it.
General manager Chris Ballard has introduced a youth movement in Indianapolis during his brief tenure with the Colts, and that has paid off by acquiring talented young players on inexpensive contracts.
Marlon Mack
Marlon Mack will be entering the second year of his four-year $2.82 million rookie contract in 2018, which pays him an average salary of around $700K.
Mack outplayed his fourth round draft status as a rookie with 583 yards from scrimmage and 4 touchdowns. Mack’s contract could look even better moving forward if he is able to take on the lead role in the Colts’ backfield, and improve his efficiency in the running game.
Great teams normally don’t spend much money on the running back position, and the Colts look to be in good shape with an overachieving Marlon Mack.
Clayton Geathers
Like Marlon Mack, Clayton Geathers is only making around $700K per year as he enters the final season of a four-year $2.8 million deal.
Geathers was enjoying a breakout season in 2016 before his year ended after 9 games due to a neck injury. He was able to come back for the final five games of 2017 as he started to work his way back into form.
If Geathers is able to play at the level he played at in 2016 next season, his $700K salary will look like a major bargain.
Jacoby Brissett
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One of Chris Ballard’s best moves as a general manager was acquiring Jacoby Brissett in a trade right before the regular season started.
Brissett was a major upgrade over Scott Tolzien as he threw for over 3,000 yards with 13 touchdowns last season after being thrust into the starting lineup without much knowledge of the playbook. He’s only being paid about $850K a year, and the Colts have him under contract through 2019.
Colts fans hope that Brissett won’t be forced into a starting role again, but having a quality backup as young as Brissett on an affordable contract makes him a valuable member of this team.
Next: How Have Colts Head Coaches Fared in their First Season?