The Health of Andrew Luck Will be a Determining Factor in Free Agency
By Andrew Ites
The Colts have a ton of cap space to use in free agency, but Andrew Luck’s health will determine how successful they are in recruiting free agents.
In a normal situation, the Colts would have to overpay to bring in free agents this offseason coming off of a year where they finished 4-12. However, the presence of Andrew Luck makes them a more attractive destination than the usual 4-12 team.
General manager Chris Ballard has approximately $80 million to spend in free agency. With those types of resources, he could fully transform this roster in his second offseason as a GM.
Free agents who want to win often sign with teams that have a franchise quarterback. Andrew Luck showed he was clearly a franchise quarterback when he was healthy throwing for 4,240 yards at 7.8 yards per attempt with 31 touchdowns. But Luck hasn’t put on shoulder pads since Week 17 of 2016.
The comments from the Colts’ front office and coaching staff regarding Luck’s recovery have been positive even though he hasn’t been able to throw a football yet. However, the free agents that the front office meets with over the next few weeks will want some sort of assurance that Andrew Luck will be their quarterback in 2018.
I don’t believe the front office or coaching staff will be able to guarantee these prospective free agents that Luck will be ready to go in Week 1, but setting up a meeting with Luck himself could go a long way in convincing these players to come to Indianapolis, especially at the wide receiver position.
The Colts are coming into free agency with some question marks, but a large amount of cap space and a potentially promising outlook in 2018 should allow them to bring in some quality players.