The Colts lost their top pass-catching tight end from 2015, Coby Fleener, to free agency last March. It now looks as if their No. 1 receiving tight end from 2016, Jack Doyle, will follow in Fleener’s footsteps this year. The Colts have attempted to lock up Doyle, but he’ll hit the open market, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Free agency comes at a fortuitous time for the soon-to-be 27-year-old Doyle, who’s coming off easily the most productive of his four NFL seasons. After hauling in a combined 42 receptions for 209 yards and three touchdowns over his first three years, Doyle amassed 59 catches, 584 yards and five scores in 2016. Doyle also piled up 75 targets, which finished second among Colts. The 6-foot-5, 254-pounder served as an above-average run blocker, too, though his pass blocking was subpar, according to Pro Football Focus.
Along with Doyle, this year’s class of free agent tight ends is set to include Martellus Bennett, Jared Cook and Vernon Davis, among others (PFR ranks Doyle behind only Bennett and Cook). Speculatively, despite having a lesser track record, Doyle could attempt to parlay both his 2016 output and the rising salary cap into a deal similar to the lucrative pacts Fleener and Colts teammate Dwayne Allen landed a year ago. Fleener inked a five-year, $36MM contract with $14.6MM in guarantees, while Allen secured a four-year, $29MM agreement with $16MM guaranteed.