When it came time for Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard to hand out free agent contracts in March, he was clearly shopping for bargains. After committing about 200 million dollars to retain quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce, Ballard spent about 55 million more on 13 other free agents.
Some of those low-cost deals went to returning depth pieces like Laquon Treadwell and Luke Tenuta, while others went to imports Cam Taylor-Britt and Nick Wetsbrook. Apart from Jones and Pierce, only two of the new contracts extended beyond 2026.
One of those multi-year deals – the third highest in total value after the two star player contracts – went to defensive end Michael Clemons. Colts fans are hoping that our colleagues over the Jet Press fan site are wrong in their opinion of Clemons. Because they just gave him a very dubious honor.
New Indianapolis Colts’ edge rusher labelled one of the “worst” for his former team
Michael Clemons was chosen by the Jets in the fourth round of the 2022 draft. Then-coach Robert Saleh praised the Texas A&M lineman’s intensity. He was not the quickest or most agile of performers, but he brought excellent length and power to the field.
Unfortunately, things never seemed to click for Clemons with the Jets. That intensity seemed to result in more penalties and shouting matches than sacks and tackles.
After showing a few glimpses in his third year, he reverted to a reserve role in 2025 and had almost no impact on the field. Nine solo tackles and nine more quarterback pressures in almost 600 defensive snaps. And the highest missed tackle rate of his career, hovering just under 20%.
For those reasons, the staff at the Jet Press included Clemons on their “All-Worst” team for the last 20 years. Other members of the “team” include QB Zach Wilson, RB Le’Veon Bell, and DT Javon Kinlaw, currently underwhelming with the Washington Commanders.
At least Ballard did not hand out a major contract to Clemons the way the Commanders did with Kinlaw. His deal is for three seasons and hits a maximum value of $17 million. If he is able to harness the intensity that he showed in college, that would be a bargain. But the Colts are clearly hedging their bets.
The only other multi-year deal Ballard inked with a newcomer went to another edge rusher, Arden Key. Key is currently projected to start opposite Laiatu Latu. Ballard also drafted a couple of edge prospects to join Latu, Key, and second-year player Jaylahn Tuimoloau.
If Clemons fails to make the roster this year, Ballard is on the hook for a $5 million dead cap hit. His contract allows for a significantly reduced dead cap number in 2027.
The Clemons signing is one of several baffling moves Ballard made this offseason. They mostly came on the defensive side of the ball. Faced with the need to replace virtually half the starting defense, the Colts were clearly looking for bargains.
A few of those bargains – Akeem Davis-Gaither, Cam Taylor-Britt, Juanyeh Thomas – may bear fruit. None have been stars, but each has shown enough to merit a dice roll with a low-bar contract.
But based on what he has produced so far, Clemons seems to fall into a different category than players like Jerry Tillery, Derrick Nnadi, and Jonathan Owens. These are older players who have never been major contributors … or at least haven’t been contributors for a long time.
Clemons is a little bit younger, and it is entirely possible a change of scenery will do him good. He may thrive under Lou Anarumo’s defensive scheme. New line coach Marion Hobby worked well with Sam Hubbard – a virtual physical clone of Clemons – when he coached in Cincinnati.
All those questions will be answered as training camp begins next week. Clemons is a bit of a gamble, but the downside concerns the way he might block the progress of other developing edge rushers more than the actual dollars he commands.
And the bottom line is that Ballard needs to find better edge talent – regardless of price, past, or pedigree. Can Michael Clemons prove the Jets – and the writers at Jet Press – wrong for giving up on him? We can always hope for the best.
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