Indianapolis Colts: 3 free agents Indy should regret passing on
By Jerry Trotta
1. Trent Williams
The Colts made a mistake not breaking the bank for Trent Williams.
Looking back at it, the Colts were never going to give Trent Williams top-of-the-market money, and that’s unsurprisingly what came his way after yet another dominant season at left tackle.
For those who missed it amid the wave of transactions, Williams inked a monster six-year, $138 million contract, which included a $30.1 million signing bonus, with the 49ers. That’s a pretty lengthy contract for a 32-year-old who hasn’t played a full 16-game slate since 2013, but you can really never overpay for a lineman of his quality.
For context, Williams has made the Pro Bowl every season dating back to 2012, and he’s seemingly getting better with age, as his 91.6 blocking grade from Pro Football Focus this past campaign was the highest of his decorated career.
Again, it makes sense why the Colts were never really in on the Williams sweepstakes. Not only does the perennial world-beater not fit the age profile of the rest of their OL, especially following the retirement of Anthony Castonzo, but he was significantly out of their price range.
However, considering that Indy is trying to put Carson Wentz in the best position to rediscover his confidence after an egregious final season with the Eagles, it really makes you wonder why they if they couldn’t conduct the necessary financial gymnastics to land Williams’ services.
After all, is the cap really real?
Barring any unforeseen changes, it looks like the Colts have made up their minds about addressing their left tackle vacancy in the draft next month. If that’s the case, Ballard and Co. better hope their talent evaluating is up to par, because they cannot afford to have Wentz looking over his shoulder on every snap to make sure his blindside is protected as he attempts to resuscitate his career.
