Colts big cap hits in 2023
 

Colts highest cap hits next season:

Matt Ryan = $35.2 million
Shaq Leonard = $20.2 million
DeForest Buckner = $19.8 million
Braden Smith = $19.0 million
Ryan Kelly = $12.4 million
Quenton Nelson = $12.2 million
Stephon Gilmore = $12.0 million
Kenny Moore = $7.5 million

Who gets cut and who gets traded in off season? Not sure anyone wants Ryan, but I think we save 29 million if traded and eat 17 million if we cut him. If Sam continues to get better and ends up being the guy I am sure we eat the 17 mil if we can't trade him. Still paying Sam on a rookie deal at 6th. round money so still money ahead.

Buckner is still playing at a high level, but does he want to stay?
With Franklin excelling do we trade Leonard if he gets healthy and plays solid by years end? I mean him and Franklin play the same role

Kenny Moore can go, dude has sucked.
The entire O-Line can go as far as I am concerned. They have been horribly atrocious.
I'm sure Gilmore will go. I know it is a 2 year deal but he ain't staying on a dysfunctional team. Take what we can get.

My take:

Matt Ryan = $35.2 million - Gone
Shaq Leonard = $20.2 million - Keep him. Plus he's $24M in dead cap if released before the '23 season.
DeForest Buckner = $19.8 million - Keep him. Hopefully he wants to stay.
Braden Smith = $19.0 million - He's $19M in dead cap for '23, so we keep him 1 more year to see if he gets his shit together.
Ryan Kelly = $12.4 million - Will only be $4.5M in dead cap for '23 if released. Should probably and might be gone.
Quenton Nelson = $12.2 million - He's $30.8M in dead cap for '23 and releasing him actually is $18.6M in pressure towards the cap. Hopefully he gets his shit together.
Stephon Gilmore = $12.0 million - One of the few bright spots this year. Keep him.
Kenny Moore = $7.5 million - Dump him. He sucks now.

I am going to go to a bad place.

Soon they announce that Nelson has to have a back procedure and it no longer becomes about releasing him. Not going to convince me that dude is a money dude or a not trying hard dude, just not, too much mean in him.

As Chaos and I are discussing on another thread if it turns out that Nelson sucks now b/c of chronic back problems then Ballard is one ricockulously dumbass mfer for paying him that much.

Bringing in Ryan is looking worse and worse all the time...we all trusted Ballard and Frank and thought we had really pulled off a miracle. Then they hardly played Ryan at all in pre-season (I think I see why now) Ryan's career is over, sad but true! Ballard should be fired for Wentz and Ryan....all they had to do was bring in Foles and play him until Sam was ready, we probably would have won more games too!

They can still get rid of R.Kelly and Smith as soon as possible and draft O-line (2 or 3) next year.

He is anyway when we don't even have a franchise LT.

We were spoiled with back to back generational quarterbacks. Plenty of super bowls have been won with QB's who don't beat their own team. If we don't address the offensive line it won't matter who is taking the snaps, they will get beaten to a pulp.

Back to back generational QB's and only 2 Superbowl appearances, with 1 win !! It might be time for Irsay to start getting some blame for how this team has been constructed. Maybe Jim is not the knowledgeable owner that people think he is. I don't remember Jim saying anything when Polian told Dungy to rest players with the possibility of a perfect season, or now, not putting his foot down and letting Ballard and Reich take his team down the road of mediocrity, while telling the Washington what to do with they're owner. Think about it, Jones, Manning and Luck, 1 Superbowl win. It might be time for an ownership change.

I couldn’t agree more. Nice human being but a shitty owner, if what you want in an owner is to win. There will be no ownership change however. Jim has done nothing so bad that he would be forced out and this football stuff is Jim’s life.