The Colts may have had some of these players on their minds to sign them, but now they will be staying with their current teams because of the franchise tag.
This is the time of year where franchise tags start flying. It’s right before free agency and players who haven’t been able to negotiate a long-term deal get hit with the tag. There were some players who were tagged that the Colts were undoubtedly interested in.
One of those players is Hunter Henry. Henry is a tight end for the Chargers who was set to hit free agency next week. L.A. decided to tag him instead to keep him with the Chargers on a one-year deal worth just over $11 million. That’s a large sum to pay a tight end.
Even though that is a ton of money to pay a tight end for just one year, he might be worth it. He is one of the most talented tight ends in the league. The only question with him has been health. The Colts won’t get a chance to add him to their roster now.
Another player who got tagged who the Colts had to have on their radar is Justin Simmons. Simmons is a safety for the Broncos who will now play 2020 for $12.7 million. Simmons is a physically imposing safety that Indy could have used in the secondary.
While Matthew Judon was likely going to be expensive, the Colts still probably would at least given him a look. They will no longer be able to do that as he was tagged too. He was tagged as a OLB, which saves Baltimore $3 million. Judon had 9.5 sacks last season and was set to be a hot commodity.
Even though these guys were tagged, there are still plenty of players out there that the Colts can sign that can help their team immediately and in the future.