Loyalty is scarce in professional sports, either because players pursue better opportunities or the Indianapolis Colts and other teams don't hesitate to move on from them, regardless of what they've done for the organization. As such, watching someone spend a decade with the same organization is rare these days.
Nevertheless, general manager Chris Ballard and the Indianapolis Colts can't afford to get emotional right now. They must be pragmatic, even if that means pulling the plug on a former fan favorite who's spent his entire career in Indy.
Grover Stewart is coming off the worst season of his career, and given his age and steep cap hit, the team might be better off without him. He survived the first wave of roster cuts, but he probably shouldn't be there to start the season.
Indianapolis Colts' Grover Stewart's cap hit makes him an easy cut candidate
The Colts took Stewart out of Albany State with the No. 144 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. He's amassed 409 tackles and 13.0 sacks in 141 regular-season games (109 starts) with the organization, and he's established himself as a mainstay in the interior of the defensive line since his third year in the league.
That said, it's hard to justify his $14.25 million cap hit in 2026. He had the fourth-highest cap hit on the team last season, and he certainly didn't live up to those expectations, posting just 55 total tackles and 0.5 sacks.
According to Over The Cap, the Colts would save $12.25 million by releasing or trading him, regardless of it's now or with a post-June 1 designation. Granted, the Colts don't have a ton of alternatives next to DeForest Buckner, but newcomer Colby Wooden is seven years younger and making ten times less.
As things stand now, the Colts have $26.27 million in available cap space, which should be more than enough to get all the draft picks signed.
That, plus those $12 million they'd get by cutting ties with Stewart, would give them enough wiggle room to get better at the position with free agents like DaQuan Jones, David Onyemata, Shelby Harris, or maybe even making a run at Christian Wilkins, who should be back to full strength after sitting out last season. They can also get pass-rushing help with Joey Bosa or Haason Reddick.
Of course, moving on from homegrown talent is always tough, but this is a business first and foremost, and players don't usually get better as they get older. The Colts gave up 24.2 points per game last season, which was good for 20th in the league, and that's not going to cut it for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.