If I’m counting right, the Indianapolis Colts have 22 players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents when the new league year starts in March. That puts a lot on GM Chris Ballard’s plate. Being in town as long as he has, Ballard is responsible for every one of those players. But he obviously will not attempt to retain all of them.
This does not include the handful of pending restricted free agents, some of whom may be a higher priority than the UFAs. We’ll deal with them another day. For now, the 22 UFAs ought to be enough to keep us busy.
So let’s rank them in order of priority. Which of these 22 players should Ballard go all out to re-sign, and which can he offer a nice pat on the back as they head on to newer pastures? Don’t worry, we’ll lump a lot of the lower-priority players together to prevent this word count from pushing into quadruple figures. We’ll keep it tight. With 22 players in the balance, you kind of have to.
Indianapolis Colts pending free agents ranked in terms of importance
For context, the Colts are in decent shape, salary cap-wise. They currently have the 13th most available space. And some roster moves and renegotiations can create extra space. That is important if they hope to re-sign some of their higher-profile in-house free agents and maybe have some money left over to bring in some new players.
Low-cost, low-priority
These are pending UFAs who played on contracts under two million dollars in 2025 who do not appear to have a significant future with the club.
- WR Laquon Treadwell
- S George Odum
- RB Ameer Abdullah
- RB Salvon Ahmed
- LB Buddy Johnson
These are mostly older veterans. Abdullah is the only one who played more than 50 snaps on offense or defense last year. Ahmed was hurt, and is still a young player, as is Johnson, but it is hard to imagine Ballard prioritizing any of them.
Low-cost, higher-priority
- C Danny Pinter
- DT Chris Wormley
- CB Chris Lammons
- DT Eric Johnson
- TE Andrew Ogletree
- S Rodney Thomas
- LB Jacob Phillips
Except for Lammons and Wormley, these are younger players. Lammons has proven his worth as a special teamer, and Wormley plays a position of need. I could see Ballard extending both with one-year, low-cost deals. I think he would like to have the others back, but he will not get into a bidding war if another team targets a player like Pinter or Ogletree.
That leaves ten more significant contributors, ranked in order of importance, from least to most
10. RT Braden Smith
This is not an indictment of Smith, who has been a solid tackle for a long time. It is simply an acknowledgement that he is getting older, will be fairly expensive, and may be redundant based on how well Jalen Travis looked in limited action last season. Ballard would love to extend Smith, but it is not practical.
9. TE Mo Alie-Cox
Alie -Cox has also been a stalwart for a long time, and he still has some tread on the tires. But it’s time for Indy to move on. Ogletree and Will Mallory need to step into more prominent roles behind Tyler Warren, especially as blockers.
8. Edge Samson Ebukam
Ebukam had a great year in 2023, but he will be 31 when the 2026 season begins and has played fewer than 500 snaps in the last two years combined.
7. Edge Tyquan Lewis
Virtually everything that applies to Ebukam also applies to Lewis. The Colts need help on the edge, so it is possible that Ballard will not want to say goodbye to so many pass rushers in one year. More on that in a moment.
6. DT Neville Gallimore
I thought Gallimore played pretty well in 2025. He provided good support behind Indy’s veteran defensive tackles. Whether he ever becomes a reliable starter remains an open question, but he does provide quality as a rotational piece.
5. Edge Kwity Paye
We’re getting to the higher priority players. Paye has been a minor disappointment as a pass rusher, but he is still a quality all-around edge. That is in short supply in Indianapolis. His price tag will be interesting to watch. I assume Ballard has a number in mind, and if he can extend Paye at that number, he will do so. The Colts can probably find a player who can replicate Paye’s production, but if they re-sign Paye, they won’t have to do that. One less thing to worry about.
4. S Nick Cross
I think the Colts very much want Nick Cross back. He is a hard-hitting box safety who developed a good rapport with Cam Bynum last year. Assuming reasonable health at cornerback in 2026, Cross should thrive in an improved secondary. But he could get above-market offers from other teams looking for a safety, and Ballard does have bigger priorities.
3. LB Germaine Pratt
He wasn’t even on the roster when 2025 began, but Pratt quickly established himself as vital. His familiarity with DC Lou Anarumo’s schemes proved crucial. Had Anarumo left, re-signing Pratt may not have been such a high priority. Now, it seems more important than holding onto fellow linebacker Zaire Franklin.
2. WR Alec Pierce
Under normal circumstances, Pierce would be at the top of this list. An ascending talent, he is on the verge of cracking the upper tier of receivers in the NFL. A trio of Pierce, Warren, and Jonathan Taylor gives Indy a very dangerous offense. Take Pierce away, and that offense suffers a lot.
1. QB Daniel Jones
Jones’ injury creates a bit of a quagmire for Ballard. But he really has no choice. Malik Willis is the only other pending free agent QB who generates similar interest. Ballard could be planning a trade, but barring the unforeseen, the Colts desperately need to work out some kind of deal with their quarterback.