The Indianapolis Colts entered the offseason with two main priorities at the top of their list: Keep Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce in town. They placed the transition tag on Jones and are still hoping to work out a long-term deal with Pierce, who's now a free agent.
However, GM Chris Ballard still has plenty of work to do to retool the roster while also keeping some of his own free agents. Of course, that means there will have to be some sacrifices, as there's only so much money to be spread around.
That might mean that Nick Cross has already played his last down for the organization. He's a budding star in a position of need for multiple teams, and someone else might be willing to give him more money. In an appearance on The Fan Morning Show, Ballard all but opened the door for Cross to leave.
Chris Ballard knows the Indianapolis Colts might not be able to keep Nick Cross
“There’s this big pie, and I can slice it up and give you a piece of the pie, but someone (else) might be willing to give you a bigger piece, and if that happens, we’ve both done our jobs," the Colts' executive said.
Of course, that's not to say that Cross will leave. There will always be a chance that both parties can work something out. That said, the financial outlook is grim, to say the least. According to Over The Cap, the Colts are $4.7 million over the salary cap. Again, that number will likely drop significantly with Daniel Jones signing a long-term contract, but they also need to save money for Pierce.
Cross, a former third-round pick, was on a team-friendly, four-year $5.06 million deal. Now, Spotrac projects him to sign a four-year, $24.2 million contract with an average annual value of $6.1 million. That's right in the middle of the pack when compared to other free agent safeties, but it might be more than what the Colts are willing to give him right now.
He's always been a strong contributor against the run. While he has played all over the defensive backfield, he thrives near the line of scrimmage, posting a 72.0 run defense grade, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
He took a big leap last season, ranking second among strong safeties with 16 total pressures while leading all players at his position in solo tackles (97). He also had one interception and gave up just 50 receptions, the fourth-fewest among his positional group. Cross also ranked second in both snaps played (1,111) and run stops (38).
The Colts already gave Camryn Bynum a four-year deal that pays him $15 million a year, and with Sauce Gardner there and Charvarius Ward hopefully returning, they might not be able to spend that much money on their defensive backfield.