Hey there Colts’ fans! Here are my thoughts on the Colts during this first month of the offseason. While none of the wheels have started turning in Indianapolis yet, there are surely some big decisions coming up on the horizon…

The biggest question that most people are pondering is the plan at the quarterback position for 2026 and beyond. Clearly QB Daniel Jones showed in the first half of 2025 that he could be a franchise-caliber quarterback, and he is still in his physical prime. It was almost a certainty that he would get a long-term deal to remain as the starter – and if the Colts did not do it, then some other quarterback-needy team surely would. Unfortunately, there was that pesky Achilles rupture in mid-season which threw a monkey wrench into that entire plan. As of now, there is no guarantee that Jones will be ready for the start of the season, and certainly his mobility and athleticism will be tempered when he does return to action. Can 2^nd-year man QB Riley Leonard man the position long enough until Jones can play? Leonard looked decent in the last week of the season, but it was against a team with nothing to play for so the jury is still out.

All of that begs the question….what do the Colts do with former top pick QB Anthony Richardson? Yes, he has been erratic and yes, he (maybe due to his playing style?) has susceptible to injuries time and time again. BY all reports, he had matured and become more stable as a passer, but he still lost out to the veteran Jones….and then the crazy eye injury shut him down for most of 2025. Everyone seemed to think it is a foregone conclusion of his exodus from Indy. But the injury to Jones may derail those plans – plus they would still have to find a suitable trade partner in a draft with decent quarterback prospects and a limited number of potential suitors. With his potential ceiling being so high, it may take a fine offer to get him out the door and to get a decent enough return to make the move. I lean towards him staying, but the popular opinion says otherwise.

There has been a lot more rumors afoot recently that the team may part ways with veteran WR Michael Pittman. He has a massive $29 million cap hit for 2026 in the final year of a 3-year extension he signed a few years back, and a release could save the team $24 million – money they could really use elsewhere, especially for re-signing their potential new top target WR Alec Pierce. Is Pittman valuable as a leader and as a possession receiver? Absolutely. But he is not worth being the 7^th most expensive receiver in the NFL and he certainly can be replaced adequately on the field with the current receiver room. Pierce is developing into a complete receiver, and slot guy WR Josh Downs has the same short-space capacity with a ton more explosiveness. I can’t see Pittman taking the kind of pay cut that would allow the team to retain him, so he likely is going to be released. Some comments Pittman made recently seem to indicate that he believes it is coming as well.

Unrestricted free agents: Offense

QB Daniel Jones – should be resigned to a multi-year deal

RB Ameer Abdullah – may be brought back at the veteran minimum. Liked, but replaceable

WR Alec Pierce – a top priority for Indy, should get a ton of attention and a lot of money

WR Laquon Treadwell – should be cheap and a decent veteran backup and special teamer

TE Drew Ogletree – meh. 50/50 and a minimum deal guy

TE Mo Alie-Cox – the veteran is probably gone…but I said that last season also

C Danny Pinter – valuable and versatile role player should be brought back

T Braden Smith –Signs of decline, and could get big money from another team. A question mark

Overall: there are some chances to leave big holes in this team if some key signings are not made. Jones and Pierce are the team’s overall top two priorities, and the two linemen need to be considered as well. The reality is that losing Pinter depletes the depth a ton, and even a gimpy or erratic Smith is a better-than-average anchor on the right end…and would cost a lot of money or draft capital to replace if 2^nd-year man OT Jalen Travis can’t be the man. I think he probably will get the chance and Smith walks.

Unrestricted free agents: defense

DE Kwity Paye – probably will get bigger money elsewhere than we can pay

DE Samson Ebukam – great potential asset, but could be a cap casualty

DE Tyquan Lewis – great veteran presence that could be back on a team-friendly deal

DT Chris Wormley - meh

DT Eric Johnson II – less meh, but will have to be a low dollar deal

DT Neville Gallimore – they like him, but also would need to be cap-friendly

LB Buddy Johnson - meh

LB Germaine Pratt – had a great season, and likely can be locked up at a reasonable price.

CB Chris Lammons – been on and off the team, but could be decent depth at the right price

S George Odum – great special teamer, and becomes a real need especially if they loseCross

S Nick Cross – I love him, but they are competing with teams that have way more to spend

S Rodney Thomas II – see Odum, but replace "special teams" with "leadership and grit"

Overall: They could lose a lot of these guys. Rumors persist that the team will try to fix their long-term holes at pass rush with a big push at some big names like Trey Hendrickson, but I wonder if they have the cajones to do that without the draft capital for the next few years. They may lose one or more of the safeties, turning a position of decent strength into one without depth. Some of the depth guys on the line could be back at low money, but they still need to get some actual starters. The lack of a first-round pick for the next few years means that they will have to draft brilliantly or keep some guys at team-friendly deals to stay competitive. This could be a problem this season.

After last season started with so much promise – and top be fair, a LOT of 50/50 things broke their way perfectly in that incredible start – the 2026 season has the potential to really unravel quickly and send this team into a spiral. They need to get Jones healthy, find some O-line improvement and youth, and both of these will contribute to RB Jonathan Taylor staying healthy and dominant. And they may need to be more explosive on offense since the defense could take a step back also with some key losses in the front four and the safeties. I have my worries unless some things start to really look rosier very very soon.

That is all for this month from the Crossroads of America. Stay warm America!

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