As the 2023 NFL season approaches, multiple teams throughout the league would like to have some veterans from the Indianapolis Colts.
The Indianapolis Colts are at an intriguing spot entering the 2023 season. There’s an influx of youth on the team, as Indy enters a new era with a first-year head coach, but there also are several established veterans, many who are entering critical contract years. That means soon, the Colts will have to make some important decisions.
Indy could embrace a youth moment and go into a full rebuild, or the team could keep as many veterans as possible and try to quickly become a competitive team again. While all signs point to the Colts holding on to their veterans and trying to compete, teams throughout the NFL are hoping that Indianapolis becomes a seller.
If that happens, there are quite a few veterans that other teams would be ready to trade for— that’s already evident. Recently, Marcellus Maddox of 12th Man Rising named Grover Stewart as “the perfect trade target for the Seahawks before 2023 season begins.” In another recent piece, Cole Middleton of The Viking Age detailed three trades that could make the Minnesota Vikings championship contenders. One of those trade ideas was sending a fourth-round pick to Indy for Kenny Moore II.
So even though the Colts haven’t publicly positioned themselves as sellers, everyone seems to be awaiting the moment they will be.
Will Colts be sellers in 2023?
It makes sense why other teams are circling names of guys like Grover Stewart and Kenny Moore II on Indy’s roster. Both players are entering the last year of their respective contracts, and have also been with the Colts for a long time. Stewart, who’ll turn 30 during the season, is entering his seventh season in the league, and so is Moore, who’ll turn 28 in August.
With players like Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr. also entering contract years, the expectation is that Indy probably won’t be able to extend everyone. However, it seems unlikely that the Colts will trade anyone away before the season starts.
The more likely outcome is that Indianapolis starts the season and gets a better look at the team. If things are going well, the Colts will probably just let things play out and see who they can keep next offseason. However, if things are going horribly, and Indy recognizes that it’ll need some major change next offseason, they’ll probably part with longtime Colts like Stewart and Moore before losing them in 2024 free agency.