The Indianapolis Colts and the front office attempted to save the 2025 season through trades and even pulling a future Hall of Famer from retirement. But this offseason, with the fan base and new ownership putting Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen on notice, the Indy front office has a difficult task at hand.
The Colts have many players entering free agency, crucial to their success on offense. Particularly, Braden Smith, Daniel Jones, and Alec Pierce. With a finite amount of cap space, Indianapolis must tread carefully to get the offense back to its level in the first half of the season.
The defense needs to add athleticism and youth, and that should come in the NFL draft instead of free agency. Still, a couple of low-budget acquisitions could help. That is especially true if it means moving on from unproductive veterans.
The Indianapolis Colts need to move on from these from these five players
Michael Pittman Jr. - Wide Receiver
MPJ has been one of my favorite players on the current roster of the Colts. This year, however, his price tag is $29 million against the cap - highest among currently signed players. Pittman has enjoyed success in Indianapolis under many different quarterbacks and a handful of different offensive coordinators, proving he's an elite receiver in the game.
But can the Colts fill all the holes on their roster and pay a receiver $29 million? Indianapolis was smart with the contract because they can release or trade him and only have $5 million in dead cap, but which players could they get signed instead? The player doesn't bother me, but the money does, and the Colts will likely move on from MPJ this offseason.
Braden Smith - Offensive Tackle
As it stands, Smith is a free agent, and the Colts are likely to move on from him. However, this doesn't mean they won't attempt to retain him. His current market value, according to Spotrac, is ~$17.5 million per year with a cap hit of $13.5 million. As tempting as this number is, the Colts must reduce that cap hit or let him walk.
Towards the end of the year, Smith was placed on injured reserve after a concussion, and Jalen Smith took his place. Playing well, the former fourth-round pick held his own and impressed many of the fan base. With a tight year for the salary cap coming up, Indy must move on from the big contract Smith will require to stay in Indianapolis.
Grover Stewart - Defensive Lineman
Indy loves its trenches, and Stewart is a player the Colts do love. That being said, his cap his is $14.5 million this year, and they could save $12 million by releasing or trading him. Stewart has been a huge addition to the Colts' defensive line along with DeForest Buckner.
The 33-year old is not as effective in pass rushing, only logging 0.5 sacks and 55 tackles. His price tag does not add up to the production the Colts have seen from him. Indianapolis should look to get some late-round picks for him or save the $12 million by letting him walk.
Kwitty Paye - Edge Defender
Staying on the defensive line, Kwity Paye was paid $13.3 million last year for 4 sacks and 39 tackles, a far cry from his production in 2021, which included 9 sacks and 52 tackles. The Colts picked up the fifth-year option last season, and he is an above-average player with potential to be great.
However, the market value is around $18 million per year, and with the type of production we have seen the majority of his career, this doesn't seem to cut it. However, if given the choice between retaining Stewart of Paye, I'm picking Paye due to his age and protentional to be great.
Anthony Richardson - Quarterback
It pains me to be speaking about AR5 in this manner, but after three years of just about zero production, Indianapolis has to move on. They can release him and take a $10 million dead cap hit, or trade him and take a $5 million cap hit. Either way, I doubt Richardson remains a Colt through the 2026 season.
With Daniel Jones hopefully playing as he did, the Indianapolis Colts should look to shop Richardson around and look to recoup some of the fourth-overall price they paid for him, but unlikely they will get anything other than a third-round pick at most.