Now that the Indianapolis Colts have a new quarterback for the 2022 season, it’s time to start making moves in free agency to fill out the team.
Many Indianapolis Colts fans were waiting for Chris Ballard to make a move in free agency and it just wasn’t happening. It’s easy to think that without a quarterback, it’s going to be hard to attract free agents.
The Colts solved that issue by trading for Matt Ryan and now Indianapolis has a proven veteran to lead the team. Many reporters even classify the Indy as a contender in the AFC now that there is a proven quarterback in place.
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So what do the Colts do now in free agency? What happened to the $70 million a few weeks ago?
Before the Matt Ryan trade, Indy traded Rock Ya-Sin to the Raiders for Yannick Ngakoue, who becomes the fourth highest-paid player on the team making $13 million in 2022. Ya-Sin was only counting for $2.45 million in 2022, so that’s taking out around $11 million right there.
Ryan counts for $18.7 million with his trade and a restructure, bringing the total down even more. The Colts also brought in Brandon Facyson for almost $4 million. Add in the re-signings of Mo-Alie Cox, Ashton Dulin, Tyquan Lewis, Matt Pryor, and Zaire Franklin, and the total drops to about $21 million left.
The Colts are now in the bargain bin, which is exactly where Ballard likes to shop. The height of free agency has ended, so now it’s time to see what’s left in the smaller deals.