2020 likely Free Agents the Indianapolis Colts should pursue

Tom Brady: Quarterback, New England Patriots

For the first time in a decade and a half, Tom Brady will – maybe- be playing in a place other than New England. Brady is one of those players you love to hate: if he’s on your team, he’s the best; if he’s not on your team you hate him. It is undeniable, though, that Brady will go down as the best to ever play the game, maybe even in sports history.

The Colts are basically a quarterback away from being a Super Bowl contending team again, and finding the “Ryan Tannehill” of 2020 will involve a lot more than just singing a guy off the Miami Dolphins. I’ve done a lot of thinking and I’ve heard both arguments as to why the Colts should or shouldn’t take him.

Those arguing against it have only said “but it’s Tom Brady. He’s been the Colts kryptonite for the last 15 years,” to which I say if you don’t want Brady on your team because he’s got about two, maybe three years left, then that’s one thing, but if you don’t want him on your team because he’s Tom Brady then you’re a fool.

Brady makes any team he goes to a contender instantly, the same way Peyton Manning did. The Patriots aren’t exercising his option to force him to stay, which is a nice thing to do, but they’re still somewhat allowing him to walk away from the team if he chooses to do so.

Being one of the best players still playing at a high level, he’s going to want at least $25-$35 million a year with a two-year deal and 75% of guaranteed money to leave New England. However, the flip side is I see the argument of allocating that money to other positions but would Chris Ballard be willing to “pay” for a Super Bowl win? I think so.

Amari Cooper: Wide Receiver, Dallas Cowboys

The Colts now know they can’t move on ahead with their list of wide receivers, and being that Ballard doesn’t seem to be interested in bringing back Eric Ebron, the team needs another big body on the outside other than Devin Funchess – who may or may not be back this season after missing the whole year to a clavicle injury.

Cooper could help the Colts stretch the field and do something they haven’t done for a while – throw it long. The only deep threat the Colts have right now is T.Y. Hilton and it showed when he’s off the field how hard it is to move the ball down the field in big chunks. The Colts need another receiver who commands attention and Amari Cooper could be the person.

Cooper is the person Funchess could never be. He’s north of 6′ and runs a 4.2-4.4 forty-yard dash. He also had over 500 yards of deep yardage with a catching percentage of 70%. He also caught 1,189 yards on 79 catches for a 15.1 yard per catch average.

Also, he had 24 targets and 15 catches of 20 yards or more with 5 touchdowns, and only 2 drops cementing his 62% deep catching average as the top in the NFL for 2019. Not to mention his nearly 120 passer rating when he was targeted.

If the Colts are looking to expand their offense, Cooper is the guy to target for this team if he doesn’t stay with the Cowboys. But, the Cowboys will only have enough money to keep Dak Prescott or Amari Cooper and I say they keep Prescott and let Cooper walk to the market.

The wide receiver market is very limited in 2020 and the draft is full of wide receiver talent. So to say the Colts may aggressively target him is a stretch in and of itself. Chris Ballard is a smart GM who has consistently stated if he’s signing a free agent it has to be at a team and player-friendly deal that makes sense for both entities – none of that Miami Dolphins and Suh $100 million bull-crap.

However, with the draft market so saturated with WR talent, that should help bring down the free-agent market a little bit. That being said, he’s still going to need some money. With his talent, he’s going to want about $18-$24 million a year with $10-$12 million guaranteed.

He’s also 25 and in the prime of his career and will likely be on the last large contract of his career. So he’s going to want a 4-6 year contract with a large guaranteed amount. This is all about dollars and cents for the Colts, but it’s worth looking into to make this team better.