When Should the Colts Extend Andrew Luck
By Joshua Perez
Colts franchise quarterback Andrew signed the richest contract in 2016 worth 140 Million. Fast forward to today that 140 million seems like a bargain for the Colts. Luck’s deal doesn’t expire until 2021, but how soon should the Colts begin negotiations and sign him to a new deal?
The reigning Comeback Player of the Year has said multiple times that he believes in what Chris Ballard and the Colts are trying to accomplish. It should come to no surprise that both sides should be interested in making another long-term deal to become a reality.
Yes the Colts signed Andrew Luck through the 2021 season. The Colts need to sign Luck sooner rather than later. There are a lot of quality quarterbacks coming up for a new contract. Players like Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, Philip Rivers and other players of that caliber.
There is absolutely no question another NFL lockout is looming. With the lockout looming over the heads of NFL GM’s, the new CBA could very well push the salary cap way up. Andrew Luck is without question a top 5 quarterback when healthy. A top 5 quarterback who’s up for renewal will likely set the market.
Jared Goff is up for a new contract. Given that he’s led the Rams to a Super Bowl appearance you can expect a major pay raise is in store for him. Dak Prescott, while comparable statically to Goff, plays for the Dallas Cowboys, and is huge in the marketing part of the game. Expect Dak to likely set the market for quarterbacks. Fellow 2012 draft class member Russell Wilson is the highest paid quarterback. You can expect Andrew Luck to receive the same if not more than Wilson.
We’ve seen in the past general manager Chris Ballard is willing to spend top dollar to keep his own home-grown talent. Recently we’ve seen both LS Luke Rhodes and Kenny Moore become the highest paid in their respective positions. It should not to come to any surprise that Andrew Luck will once again be the highest paid player in the league.
When the Colts first signed Luck to a new deal back in 2016, it was the largest contract in NFL history. Fast forward to today that deal seems like a bargain for a multi-Pro Bowl player. If the Colts can act fast, expect them to get another bargain when the salary cap expands.
Now signing Andrew Luck early won’t come cheap by any means. If I had a rough estimate of what I feel the deal would be worth today, I would expect Luck to receive at least 30 million per season with a hefty signing bonus.