The Indianapolis Colts' defense took a bit of a hit early in free agency, or so it seemed at first. While not a superstar, former first-round pick Kwity Paye was a reliable and durable contributor in five years with the team.
The Las Vegas Raiders got him on a three-year, $48 million deal to replace the recently traded Maxx Crosby. The Colts ultimately had no choice but to replace him and signed Arden Key to a two-year, $16 million pact. Then, with the Baltimore Ravens shockingly backing out of the Crosby trade, the Raiders were in a somewhat awkward position with their new pass rusher.
They still had time to back down from that signing, given that the official free-agency period hadn't started. Instead, they chose to keep both of them, and they now have one of the most overpriced backup pass rushers in the game.
The Las Vegas Raiders will overpay for an Indianapolis Colts first-round pick
According to ESPN, the Colts ranked 30th in pass-rush win rate last season. Paye was solid, but not great, registering just 39 tackles with QB hits, six tackles for loss, four sacks, and one pass defensed. The advanced stats weren't that impressive either, with him logging a 56.8 pass-rush win grade, which Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked 97th among 115 eligible players.
That may also have been a byproduct of the team's struggles to get to the quarterback, which should be one of Lou Anarumo's priorities for the upcoming campaign, but it may also have made some Raiders fans shake their heads in disbelief when they heard their team spent that much money on Paye.
Of course, they're not going to complain now that Crosby, one of the finest headhunters in the game, is back in Sin City, but that somehow only makes the move a whole lot worse.
They're stuck with a player they could've not signed after initially agreeing to terms with him. It would've been impossible to judge them, given how the Ravens put them against the wall with the Crosby trade blunder. Now, he's likely not even going to play many snaps for them.
The Colts would've probably kept Paye at a much cheaper deal, even if they still signed Arden Key. They prioritized keeping Alec Pierce and Daniel Jones for the long run and went bargain-hunting for other areas of need.
Still, they definitely got better value with the guy they signed to replace their former first-round pick than a Raiders team that reeked of desperation when they gave him such a fat check early in the tampering period.