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Indianapolis Colts News & Rumors

Reserve/Futures Contracts: 12/30/19

December 30th, 2019 at 7:26pm CST by Ben Levine

With the regular season behind us, teams can start signing players to reserve/futures contract. This ties the player to the team’s 90-man offseason roster.

Several teams have already started completing these deals, which we’ve compiled below:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Colts LT Anthony Castonzo Considering Retirement

December 30th, 2019 at 12:38pm CST by Rory Parks

The Colts had to deal with one shocking retirement before the 2019 season got underway, and they may soon be dealing with another one. Today, left tackle Anthony Castonzo told reporters, including Stephen Holder of The Athletic, that he is taking stock of his career and that he may elect to retire (Twitter link).

Castonzo is eligible for unrestricted free agency in March, having just finished the final year of a four-year, $43.8MM contract. However, if he does choose to continue playing, he does not appear to be interested in testing the open market. Per Holder (via Twitter), Castonzo said he will either retire or re-sign with the Colts. The 2011 first-rounder also told reporters that he was on his way to meet with GM Chris Ballard to discuss his future (Twitter link).

Castonzo has never made a Pro Bowl, but his departure would leave a massive hole on the Colts’ O-line. He has started all 132 games in which he has appeared in his pro career, and he has consistently performed at a high level.

Holder says that Castonzo will take some time to consider his options, but of course, the Colts need to know as soon as possible what he plans to do (Twitter link). Indianapolis will have a great deal of cap space to work with and a full slate of draft picks, so the team wouldn’t necessarily be sunk if Castonzo decides to hand up the cleats, but it would certainly be an unwelcome development.

Minor NFL Transactions:

December 28th, 2019 at 9:21pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Promoted from practice squad: QB Drew Anderson
  • Placed on IR: TE Darrell Daniels

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

New York Jets

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/27/19

December 27th, 2019 at 3:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Friday’s minor moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

  • Promoted from practice squad: LB Anthony Pittman

Indianapolis Colts

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Redskins

Colts’ Ryan Kelly Eyeing Extension

December 24th, 2019 at 10:15am CST by Zachary Links

As he enters the fifth and final season of his rookie deal, center Ryan Kelly is eyeing a new deal that will keep him with the Colts for the long run, as Jim Ayello of the Indianapolis Star writes. 

“Hopefully they value what I do,” Kelly said. “If not, then I understand. But I love it here. I want to stay here. This is my home. I got a house here because I love the city. The guys in the room, I love what we’ve developed on this team. It’s certainly a lot different than it was when I first walked in the door Day 1. Time will tell. But right now, yeah, this is definitely where I want to be.”

Kelly earned $3.325MM this year and he’ll see a bump to $10.35MM under the fifth-year option in 2020. A new deal might only give the Colts a slight bit of cap relief – he’s likely looking at an average annual salary of $9-$12MM, putting him in line with the upper crust of NFL centers.

Recent extensions for Bucs centers Ryan Jensen and Bills center Mitch Morse figure to be comps for Kelly, a former first-round pick. Jensen inked a four-year, $42MM deal with Tampa Bay prior to the 2018 season with $22MM guaranteed. Morse, meanwhile, landed a four-year, $44.5MM deal with Buffalo in March, making him the league’s highest-paid center in terms of overall dollars. That deal included $26.175MM in practically guaranteed dollars – the fourth-highest at the position.

Thanks in large part to Kelly, the Colts boast one of the league’s top offensive lines in the NFL. They won’t qualify for the playoffs this year, but a new long-term deal with Kelly could position them well for 2021 and beyond.

Latest On Colts’ QB Plans

December 22nd, 2019 at 12:02pm CST by Rory Parks

We recently heard that the Colts could look to add a QB this offseason, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com is hearing the same. Although Indianapolis may not be involved in the free agent or trade market for signal-callers, Rapoport suggests the team could use an early pick on a QB in the 2020 draft.

Starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett had a pretty strong start to the season, but he has struggled in recent weeks as the Colts have fallen out of playoff contention. He is due a $6MM salary in 2020 to go along with a $7MM roster bonus that has already been triggered, but Indianapolis will have plenty of cap space and can afford to carry him on the books even if it selects a young QB.

The 6-8 Colts could find themselves with a mid-first round selection, which may put them in position to land (or trade up for) a collegiate passer like Justin Herbert or Tua Tagovailoa. If they are sufficiently intrigued by such a player, they could easily groom him behind Brissett while parting ways with Brian Hoyer, whose guarantees have already been paid out.

One thing that Colts fans should not hold out hope for, according to Rapoport, is a return of Andrew Luck. “With Andrew, at this point I just kind of take him for face value and we’ll see what happens because only he can decide,” owner Jim Irsay said. “From talking to Andrew, we have to take him at face value for what he says. So [GM] Chris Ballard and I and [head coach] Frank Reich, we have to move forward. And we are with Jacoby and the next draft and thereafter.”

South Notes: Godwin, Peat, Marrone

December 19th, 2019 at 12:10pm CST by Rory Parks

Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin left Sunday’s victory over Detroit due to a hamstring injury, and since Tampa Bay is out of playoff contention, Godwin’s breakout 2019 campaign may end prematurely. Curiously, fellow wideout Mike Evans has already been placed on IR with a hamstring ailment, and yet another receiver, Scott Miller, also left the Lions game due to a hamstring issue.

That has led some to question the way in which head coach Bruce Arians is running things, and as Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times writes, Arians has conceded that he may be overworking his receivers. “We’ll be talking with our sports science people about it,” Arians said. “Maybe I’ve overworked them in practice, the receivers, because we need the reps. Our quarterbacks need the reps, so we run them this time of the year more than I would probably like to, but we need the reps.” The hamstring injuries may all just be a coincidence, but it’s worth keeping an eye on the team’s new sports science department moving forward.

Jenna Laine of ESPN.com says Arians has already ruled Godwin out for Week 16 but hopes he will play in the 2019 finale.

Now for more from the league’s south divisions:

  • Good news for the playoff-bound Saints. As Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets, New Orleans guard Andrus Peat, who has missed the last five games with a broken arm, has returned to practice. The team’s offense has performed just fine in Peat’s absence, but the Saints would surely like to have their 2018 Pro Bowler back in action.
  • The Saints continued to bolster their secondary by adding safety D.J. Swearinger on Wednesday, just two days after claiming CB Janoris Jenkins. As Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle observes, the Saints did their due diligence in the DB market before signing Swearinger, working out nine total players (Twitter link). That list included recognizable vets DeShawn Shead and Kentrell Brice.
  • The Jaguars parted ways with executive vice president Tom Coughlin yesterday, and many believe that head coach Doug Marrone will be axed at the end of the season. However, Marrone said he has not heard anything in that regard from owner Shad Khan, nor does he expect to (h/t Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk). Meanwhile, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believes that, since Khan did not also fire Marrone when he fired Coughlin, Marrone (and GM Dave Caldwell) could be back in 2020. But Coughlin seems to have been fired largely as a result of a damning NFLPA report that surfaced Monday, so the fact that Marrone and Caldwell will stay on board for the rest of 2019 probably doesn’t mean very much.
  • The Colts tried to shore up their CB position by signing Briean Boddy-Calhoun yesterday, and as Wilson tweets, Indy also brought in CB Ken Crawley for a tryout.

Latest On Colts, Jacoby Brissett

December 18th, 2019 at 8:30pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • The Colts have seen Jacoby Brissett‘s play decline as the season’s gone along, but Frank Reich reaffirmed his commitment to the fourth-year passer as his starter. Reich shot down the notion Chad Kelly would be given significant reps in the final two weeks of regular-season practices, per Mike Chappell of Fox 59. The two-year, $30MM deal the Colts gave Brissett following Andrew Luck‘s retirement guarantees him $7MM via 2020 roster bonus. It would not be a surprise if the Colts added a quarterback in the offseason, per Stephen Holder of The Athletic (subscription required). Brian Hoyer is under contract through 2021 and would bring just a $2MM dead-money hit if released. The Colts are again projected to hold the most cap space in the NFL. There are plenty of impact names set to be free agents, but very few will actually reach the market.
  • Chris Ballard‘s regime has focused primarily on building through the draft, and Joel Erickson of the Indianapolis Star tweets the Colts should be ready to closely examine passing prospects. Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and perhaps Tua Tagovailoa will be gone by the time Indianapolis’ mid-first-round selection window opens.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/18/19

December 18th, 2019 at 3:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

New York Giants

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/14/19

December 14th, 2019 at 4:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

  • Promoted from practice squad: DL Deyon Sizer
  • Signed off Colts’ practice squad: NT Kyle Peko
  • Waived: LB Ahmad Gooden

Indianapolis Colts

  • Promoted from practice squad: G Jake Eldrenkamp

Tennessee Titans

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