The Colts already drafted Mack’s replacement in late April. If he wants to stay in Indy, he needs to have a huge year.
Marlon Mack has been one of the few players the Colts have had in recent years who can make a big play whenever he touches the ball. He has improved every season as a pro and had his best year yet in 2019. He’s going to need to be even better in 2020 though.
This is a contract year for Mack, as it’s the last year of his rookie deal. He needs to perform extremely well if he wants to keep his job in Indy. That’s because the Colts drafted Jonathan Taylor in the draft to possibly take over his spot for future seasons.
The NFL has moved towards devaluing running backs once they hit time for a second contract. Many GM’s around the league are refusing to re-sign backs to long-term extensions because they can find backs in later rounds of the draft that can be productive while costing a lot less.
Colts loved Marlon Mack last year and need to again in 2020
Chris Ballard has said that he would bring back anyone, regardless of position, who brings value to the football team. Mack needs to show that he brings more value than Taylor. Last year he started out with a bang, rushing for 174 yards and a touchdown in a losing effort against the Chargers.
The problem was, he was never able to quite match, or even come close, to that production the rest of the year. He only rushed for 100+ yards two more times the rest of the season. A big reason for that is the lack of production from the passing game. Teams were able to stack the box to stop him without fear of getting beaten deep.
Even so, Mack needs to show that he can truly be a game-breaker. That is going to be the only way he gets the extension that he thinks he deserves. Even if the Colts don’t decide to bring him back after this season, a good year could make him some money elsewhere.
If Mack can stay healthy and run for 1,200 yards and hit double-digit touchdowns, Ballard will have no choice but to keep Mack in Indy. That will be tough sharing time with Taylor, but Mack’s been underestimated before.