The Colts haven’t used a lot of their cap space this offseason. Could they be saving that for a big time free agent next year? And could that big free agent be Bell?
The Colts were relatively frugal with their spending this offseason. They opted to not spend a whole lot of money. They could be saving money for next year’s free agency class. If they are, next year’s class just got a whole lot more interesting.
News has come out from multiple outlets that Le’Veon Bell will likely leave Pittsburgh after this season. He and the Steelers have been working over the last two years to try and get a long-term deal done, but they haven’t been able to do so.
This opens up the door for Bell to be an unrestricted free agent next season. He wants to get paid a lot of money however, more than the likely market for a free agent running back has been in the past. He has stressed he wants to get paid as a dynamic player as opposed to a running back.
Would the Colts look into signing him? Bell is a dynamic player who has the most total yards in his first five years since the merger. He is a great runner, but also a dynamic receiver out of the backfield. He can be used as a weapon out of multiple positions.
The Colts typically don’t overpay for players. They also typically don’t spend a lot of money in free agency. But Bell is a special case. He is a franchise player that, assuming he can stay healthy, can carry a team to the playoffs.
The largest thing that will scare teams off is Bell’s health. He has missed games in every season except in 2014. He also has had off the field issues that have resulted in suspensions. The Colts will be wary to give a large amount of money to someone like that, no matter how talented they are.
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It will be interesting to see if the Colts give Bell a look. Hopefully they give it careful consideration.