The Indianapolis Colts' 2025 season is done. Now comes the hard part. The team has a lot of financial decisions to make, including what to do at quarterback. Beyond that, some key free agents must be addressed.
The team also needs to rebuild some specific position groups. The edge rusher group is a good Laiatu Latu, some underwhelming young players, and aging veterans. How the Indy front office improves the group will be interesting to watch.
Daniel Jones is not among the players who definitely won't be back. He almost must return after general manager Chris Ballard gave up two first-round draft picks to acquire Sauce Gardner. That was a mistake the team might be forced to live with for several years.
Indianapolis Colts player who almost certainly won't return in 2026
Right tackle Braden Smith
Smith wasn't bad in 2025, but one player made sure he was replaceable. Rookie Jalen Travis filled in for Smith at the end of the season after Smith suffered a concussion, and there was no drop off between Smith, who is 30 years old, and Travis. Youth should win out here.
Plus, Smith might command as much as $15 million a season in free agency, and Indy should save that money to try to re-sign the next person on this list. This is especially true as Travis deserves a chance to start, is cheaper for the next several seasons, and is younger.
Wide receiver Alec Pierce
Pierce's season ended in ugly fashion after he was ejected in Week 18 after bumping into an official. He didn't intentionally do so, nor was he overly aggressive, but the rules are what they are. By the letter of the rule, Pierce should have been ejected.
But before that, he was torching a good Houston Texans defense. He had four catches on seven targets for 132 yards and two touchdowns. He is simply not able to be covered in one-on-one coverage deep down the field. Not just against Houston, but against any team.
He will likely be better served by going to a team that gets him the ball more. He is capable of 1,000-yard seasons, but that might not ever happen with the Colts. Some team might offer him $24 million a season, too, and Indy can't match that if the team hopes to re-sign Daniel Jones.
Edge rusher Samson Ebukam
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Ebukam had one good season for the Colts after signing in free agency ahead of the 2023 season, and then he has been injured or ineffective. He is past 30 years old and shouldn't be re-signed. The team simply must get younger at edge rusher.
If general manager Chris Ballard is still in charge this coming offseason, though, Ebukam might be back. Ballard clearly likes paying good money to aging edge rushers, though the return on investment is rarely good. Ebukam is just another reason why Ballard needs to be fired.
Linebacker Germaine Pratt
Pratt was a midseason addition for the Indianapolis Colts and had previously played under Lou Anarumo when both were with the Cincinnati Bengals. The inside linebacker makes a lot of tackles, is terrible in coverage, and is inconsistent in every other aspect.
One of the glaring weaknesses of Anarumo's scheme is zone pass coverage in the middle of the field. The way to improve it is to sign or draft highly athletic linebackers. Pratt isn't that. He was a slight upgrade over any other LB Indianapolis had playing next to Zaire Franklin, but Pratt should be upgraded himself.