The Indianapolis Colts have had a brutal season. Things were made much worse for fans by Indy through eight games, having the best record in the NFL. The playoffs seemed certain, and possibly even the top seed in the AFC. But the team now has a chance at having a losing season should they lose in Week 18.
That should mean a lot of offseason changes. Maybe general manager Chris Ballard is let go. He's been on the job for nine years and none of his teams have won a division title. Perhaps Shane Steichen is let go as he would have had back-to-back losing seasons after going just 9-8 in his first year.
Some players might have to be let go, too. One of them could be fan-favorite wide receiver Michael Pittman, Jr. No one can dispute that Pittman works hard to reach his highest level of success, and he is consistent. But he also hasn't shown he can be a consistent top-10 receiver in the NFL.
Indianapolis Colts might be forced to make a brutal decision about Michael Pittman Jr.
That would be fine if he had a manageable contract, maybe something around $15 million a season, but that isn't the case. He is overpaid based on his production only. His cap hit in 2025 is $23 million. The amount goes up in 2026 to $29 million. That is the seventh-highest in the league.
Pittman isn't the seventh-best receiver, though, so his on-field production doesn't come near his contract value. Through Week 17, Pittman has 773 yards receiving (35th in the NFL), 78 catches (14th), seven touchdown catches (13th), and averages just 9.9 yards per catch (90th).
In six seasons, Pittman has caught just 25 touchdown passes, and has just two seasons with more than 1,000 yards receiving. That amount of touchdowns pales in comparison to some other wide receivers chosen in the 2020 draft.
Tee Higgins, chosen one spot ahead of Pittman, has 44 TDs (and Higgins has 100 fewer catches), CeeDee Lamb has 41, Justin Jefferson has 42, and Gabe Davis (a fourth-round pick) has 29 in nearly 300 fewer catches. And that's just to name four of the receivers who have more touchdowns from Pittman's draft year.
While Pittman hasn't worked with a consistent group of high-performing quarterbacks, neither has Jefferson. The fact is that while Michael Pittman Jr. is a quality receiver, he simply doesn't produce enough points to warrant his contract.
But the biggest reason the Indianapolis Colts could let Pittman go this offseason is that the team would save $24 million by doing so. That would create extra room to re-sign Daniel Jones, but more importantly, open cap room to re-sign Alec Pierce. Pierce has the kind of explosiveness Pittman doesn't have, but the kind the Colts need.