** The Official will the Bills go down like Omahas mom vs the Colts Game day thread**

[Dam8610]

If you try to go out and add Yannick Ngakoue and Juju Smith-Schuster, for example, those would be great adds, but who will you have throwing them the ball when their combined AAV is $25-30 million? Do you get Rivers to accept a 1 year, $15 million deal to come back? Will he accept that? Otherwise, you have to start eating into future cap space to get it done.

[Chromeburn]

Originally Posted by Dam8610

If you try to go out and add Yannick Ngakoue and Juju Smith-Schuster, for example, those would be great adds, but who will you have throwing them the ball when their combined AAV is $25-30 million? Do you get Rivers to accept a 1 year, $15 million deal to come back? Will he accept that? Otherwise, you have to start eating into future cap space to get it done.

Do the signings have to be at the top end of the scale? I don’t know who they are going to add as QB. What if they play Eason or a rookie? Then your starting QB is on a rookie deal. You ok with adding a FA then? Or do we have to wait 3-4 more years because the rookie will eventually be signed to a big contract.

You could still add to the positions groups. You don’t need to carry over 100 million every year looking four years down the road.

And no on Schuster, he’s a clown.

[Racehorse]

Originally Posted by Chromeburn

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-age...napolis-colts/

We are only going to resign a handful and none are break-the-bank contracts.

This false narrative that we can't sign anyone because we have rookies coming off contracts needs to end. People have been saying it since Nelson's rookie year. Could have signed people and their contracts would have ended by now. And I am not saying go in debt but spend some of the money just sitting there doing nothing.

Are we a good team pushing the envelope or not? We just took the 2nd seed to the final seconds and they are a SB contender. If we are why not sign a little more talent to push us over. You guys know the pass rush, secondary, and receiving group needs it.

By the way, I am seeing numbers much lower than $100M.

[Chromeburn]

Originally Posted by Racehorse

By the way, I am seeing numbers much lower than $100M.

Over the cap should have it. I saw 100 million on a ESPN report recently. The cap should dip 11%. Regardless, we will have a lot again and be the top or one of the top teams. We also had Jacoby on the books for a ridiculous amount and all he did was run QB sneaks. I would have rather invested that in someone who saw more snaps.

I can't believe it is such a hard sell to you guys that they should spend money that is doing nothing to improve the team.

[HoosierinFL]

Of all those on the FA list on the team, I think it breaks down like this:

Definitely re-signed (or at least given competitive offers):
DE Denico Autry
CB Xavier Rhodes
CB T.J. Carrie
DE Al-Quadin Muhammad
LB Anthony Walker Jr.

Probably re-signed/offered:
WR T.Y. Hilton
TE Trey Burton
DT Taylor Stallworth
OT Chaz Green
SS Tavon Wilson

Complete question-mark:
RT Le'Raven Clark
QB Philip Rivers
QB Jacoby Brissett
RB Marlon Mack

Not re-signed:
DE Justin Houston (I could be wrong here, but at his age, nothing more than 1 year)
S Malik Hooker
OC Joey Hunt
CB Tremon Smith
P Ryan Allen
OT Jared Veldheer

[Chromeburn]

How I am looking at that list. BTW Allen had a QB rating of 126 against us. Still a ways to go with this defense.

Probably re-signed/offered:
CB Xavier Rhodes
CB T.J. Carrie

Complete question-mark:
QB Philip Rivers - Don't know what we will do at QB
WR T.Y. Hilton - often injured and getting older
DE Denico Autry - he is 31
DE Al-Quadin Muhammad - Could you find a cheaper alternative for similar production. Time for Banagu to step up? He is a 2nd round pick.
OT Chaz Green - Maybe for depth

Not re-signed:
DE Justin Houston (I could be wrong here, but at his age, nothing more than 1 year)
S Malik Hooker
OC Joey Hunt
CB Tremon Smith
P Ryan Allen
OT Jared Veldheer
RT Le'Raven Clark
QB Jacoby Brissett
RB Marlon Mack
TE Trey Burton
DT Taylor Stallworth
SS Tavon Wilson
LB Anthony Walker Jr. - We have another MIKE who will probably better

[Dam8610]

Originally Posted by Chromeburn

Do the signings have to be at the top end of the scale? I don’t know who they are going to add as QB. What if they play Eason or a rookie? Then your starting QB is on a rookie deal. You ok with adding a FA then? Or do we have to wait 3-4 more years because the rookie will eventually be signed to a big contract.

You could still add to the positions groups. You don’t need to carry over 100 million every year looking four years down the road.

And no on Schuster, he’s a clown.

There's no point in adding if you're not adding talent that is better than what's on your roster. I singled out those two because they're young (both 26 or younger for 2021 season) and only one of them is seen as top of market. But why spend cap dollars just to spend cap dollars? I'd rather fill WR3, for example, by letting in house options and draftees compete for it instead of handing some mediocre veteran $5 million+ to not really improve the team. If something like DeForest Buckner comes along, that's how you spend your cap savings, and if you're going after free agents to try to have some assurance that they'll improve your team when you're at the level you're claiming the Colts are, you need to go top of market.

But also I don't really understand this claim, because Ballard hasn't been hesitant to go into FA to get bargains, either. Ebron was a bargain (didn't work out second season, but first season production was worth both seasons of pay), Autry was a bargain, and he went top of market for Houston and Buckner. I guess the question would be what move do you want Ballard to have made in the last 4 seasons that he didn't? There doesn't seem to be an obvious one to me.

Regarding starting Eason or a rookie in 2021, I'd be encouraged, because it would mean Ballard and Reich believe enough in that QB to hitch the organization's future and their careers to that QB. But that's because I'm of the opinion that the Colts have among the best coaching and talent evaluation staff in the NFL, something that clearly many NFL teams agree with considering how many head coach and GM interviews Colts front office personnel are getting. That said, will free agents buy in? If not, now you're paying a premium to get the same guys, and as we've seen over the last 4 years, he's not going to do that, and IMO that's a good thing.

[Dam8610]

Originally Posted by Chromeburn

Over the cap should have it. I saw 100 million on a ESPN report recently. The cap should dip 11%. Regardless, we will have a lot again and be the top or one of the top teams. We also had Jacoby on the books for a ridiculous amount and all he did was run QB sneaks. I would have rather invested that in someone who saw more snaps.

I can't believe it is such a hard sell to you guys that they should spend money that is doing nothing to improve the team.

It's $58 million according to overthecap. I'm bumping this post again because it keeps getting stuck at the bottom of a page where no one sees it.

Originally Posted by Dam8610

First, $100 million is an exaggeration by a lot. Counting the 2020 rollover, the Colts have $72 million in cap space against the projected 2021 cap. That seems like quite a bit until you look at the unrestricted free agent list:

QB Philip Rivers
QB Jacoby Brissett
WR T.Y. Hilton
DE Justin Houston
DE Denico Autry
S Malik Hooker
CB Xavier Rhodes
RT Le'Raven Clark
SS Tavon Wilson
CB T.J. Carrie
TE Trey Burton
OT Chaz Green
OC Joey Hunt
DT Taylor Stallworth
CB Tremon Smith
RB Marlon Mack
LB Anthony Walker Jr.
DE Al-Quadin Muhammad
P Ryan Allen
OT Jared Veldheer

That's nearly half of the DL rotation, all of the QBs but Eason, Hilton, Walker, and Rhodes that at the very least you have to consider retaining. I know I'd want Autry, Muhammad, Stallworth, Rhodes, and Hilton back at the very least. I think the team could withstand losing pretty much everyone else without missing a beat. How much will those 5 cost? Conservatively $30 million? If you want the three good backup OLs on that list as well, make it at least $35 million. Now let's look at RFAs, which is a short list:

WR Zach Pascal
S George Odum

Assuming an "original round" (see: only RoFR) tender for both, that's another $4.5 million, so let's call that $40 million.

That leaves $32 million with Jacob Eason as the only QB on the roster. Assuming a roughly $7 million rookie pool, that leaves $25 million. If Rivers resigns for $20 million, there's your $5 million of roster churn space. If you don't resign Hilton and Rhodes, maybe that's another $20 million, so who do you spend that on? You could get a different #1 WR for that money, maybe Kenny Golladay or JuJu Smith-Schuster, but that's going to cost $15 million per year at least, probably more. You could take a chance on Bud Dupree and his torn ACL or Von Miller who hasn't played this year from what I can tell, but either of them will cost $12+ million. Bottom line is there's not a lot of room for the Colts this year. Either they're going to let a lot of their team go or they're not going to have much room for outside free agents, and next year is when guys like Leonard, Braden Smith, etc. start coming due. Nelson is after 2022, so are Okereke and Willis. Then in 2023, Pittman, Taylor, Blackmon, and this year's first rounder if they're any good come due. There will likely be a $40 million jump from 2021 to 2022 cap, but the Colts don't have the monstrous amount of room they used to anymore.

[Colts And Orioles]

Originally Posted by Dam8610

I'm bumping this post again, because it keeps getting stuck at the bottom of a page where nobody sees it.

o

You could also start a new thread, in which case it getting lost will be much less likely.

o

[Racehorse]

Originally Posted by Chromeburn

Over the cap should have it. I saw 100 million on a ESPN report recently. The cap should dip 11%. Regardless, we will have a lot again and be the top or one of the top teams. We also had Jacoby on the books for a ridiculous amount and all he did was run QB sneaks. I would have rather invested that in someone who saw more snaps.

I can't believe it is such a hard sell to you guys that they should spend money that is doing nothing to improve the team.

It is not a hard sell to me, if the money is there. I don't think there is as much after we sign who we need to keep or replace as you do.