HEADLINES

Indianapolis Colts News & Rumors

Colts To Sign LB/DE Jabaal Sheard

March 10th, 2017 at 3:58pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts are signing former Patriots linebacker Jabaal Sheard, sources tell Field Yates and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a three-year, $25.5MM deal with $12.75MM guaranteed, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Jabaal Sheard (Vertical)

The Colts needed a front seven player like Sheard. Now, he’s projected to start at one bookend with Henry Anderson on the other side. Hassan Ridgeway, Arthur Jones, and Kristjan Sokoli are there in reserve, but one of those last two players could wind up displaced from the roster. The Colts finished with only 33 sacks last season, and the defensive line allowed 1,926 rushing yards (eighth-most in NFL).

The Dolphins were also linked to Sheard, but they probably lost interest after acquiring William Hayes in a trade with the Rams on Thursday. We didn’t hear much about a Patriots reunion for him. Towards the end of the season, the feeling was that Sheard would not be back in New England.

Despite getting benched midway through the season, the defensive end still had a productive year for the Patriots in 2016. The 27-year-old finished the campaign with 33 tackles and five sacks, adding on to the eight sacks he collected with New England in 2015.

Colts Release CB Patrick Robinson

March 10th, 2017 at 11:39am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts are releasing cornerback Patrick Robinson, according to a team announcement. The former first-round pick is now free to sign with other teams. Patrick Robinson (vertical)

Robinson joined the Colts on a three-year, $14MM pact ($6MM guaranteed) less than one year ago today. He played in seven games for Indy and totaled 26 tackles, five passes defensed, and one forced fumble before landing on IR with a groin injury. Before the groin issue sidelined him, he also dealt with a concussion and a knee ailment. Robinson was a solid slot cornerback in his lone year with the Chargers in 2015. He could not reprise that performance after cashing in with the Colts.

Although the overall number of Robinson’s deal was high, it wouldn’t have cost much for the Colts to have kept him. He was on the books for a modest $3MM base salary in the coming season. For one reason or another, new GM Chris Ballard wasn’t interested in retaining him.

The Colts’ cornerback depth chart is currently headlined by Rashaan Melvin and Vontae Davis. Cornerback/safety Darius Butler (who would prefer to play safety) remains in free agent limbo.

Contract Details: Okung, Glennon, Simon

March 10th, 2017 at 8:43am CST by Ben Levine

Updates on several contracts signed this week…

  • There are “no tricks” in Russell Okung‘s new four-year, $53MM deal with the Chargers, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter). The offensive lineman received a $10MM signing bonus, and his guaranteed money will come via his 2017 $3MM base salary and 2018 $12MM base salary.
  • Mike Glennon‘s 2017 $8MM base salary with the Bears is fully guaranteed, tweets Adam Jahns of the Sun Times. Meanwhile, the quarterback’s $5MM roster bonus will kick in on the fifth day of the 2018 league year. Jahns adds that Glennon can earn an additional $2.5MM in bonuses based on playing time, wins, and individual performance. If he hits on these NLTBE incentives, his 2018 roster bonus will be voided.
  • Linebacker John Simon‘s new deal with the Colts is actually worth $14MM over three years, clarifies NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter). Simon will earn $6MM in guaranteed money, which will seemingly come via his 2017 salary.
  • Safety Jonathan Cyprien‘s deal with the Titans includes a $3MM signing bonus, reports ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky. The veteran will earn a $2MM base salary and $1MM roster bonus in 2017. He’ll be paid $4.5MM in 2018 and $5.5MM in 2019 and 2020.

Colts Sign LB John Simon

March 10th, 2017 at 8:00am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have signed former Texans outside linebacker John Simon to a three-year deal, a source tells ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). He’ll earn $13.5MM deal with another $3MM in escalators, Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets. Simon will make $6MM in the first year of the deal, Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets. "<strong

J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney, and Whitney Mercilus get the attention in Houston, but Simon is a quality edge rusher in his own right. Now, he might get some more attention for himself. He’s certainly in for a pay bump. The Texans have now lost three significant free agents in cornerback A.J. Bouye, safety Quintin Demps, and John Simon.

The Colts will likely slot Simon in as a starter at outside linebacker. The LB depth chart also features Edwin Jackson, Antonio Morrison, the newly-acquired Barkevious Mingo, Curt Maggitt, Deiontrez Mount, Deon King, and Luke Rhodes.

Simon, who can play at linebacker or defensive end, was ranked as our third-best free agent edge defender entering this week and made my Top 50 Free Agents list which ranked guys based on projected earnings.

Simon, 27 in October, had 51 total tackles and 3.5 sacks in 11 games last season. In the year prior, he played in all 16 games and totaled 49 tackles and 5.0 sacks.

Jabaal Sheard To Visit Colts

March 10th, 2017 at 7:10am CST by Zachary Links

Jabaal Sheard is scheduled to visit the Colts, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. It was reported earlier this week that the team could pursue the pass rusher.

Jabaal Sheard (Vertical)After the late Thursday/early Friday trade between the Rams and Dolphins, the Colts could be the de facto leading suitor for Sheard. The Dolphins acquired a quality defensive end in William Hayes and that could take them out of the Sheard chase. Miami met with Sheard on Thursday afternoon, but Sheard would be redundant for him as they have Cameron Wake, Andre Branch, and Hayes on the DE depth chart. Hayes was accustomed to starting in L.A., so it’s hard to see Miami trying to sell him on even less playing time by bringing in Sheard.

Meanwhile, the Colts could certainly use some assistance at defensive end. Sheard could bump either Hassan Ridgeway or Henry Anderson from the starting lineup, and the move could also result in one of Arthur Jones or Kristjan Sokoli not making the roster. The Colts finished with an underwhelming 33 sacks last season, and the defensive line allowed 1,926 rushing yards (eighth-most in NFL).

Sheard would certainly help with these deficiencies. Despite getting benched midway through the season, the defensive end still had a productive year for the Patriots in 2016. The 27-year-old finished the campaign with 33 tackles and five sacks, adding on to the eight sacks he collected with New England in 2015.

Contract Details: Garcon, Baker, Klein, Jones

March 9th, 2017 at 6:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at some details of the free agent contracts signed today:

  • Chris Baker, DL (Buccaneers): Three years, $15.75MM. $9MM guaranteed. $1MM in sack incentives each season (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post).
  • Jack Crawford, DL (Falcons): Three years, $10.3MM. $3.75MM in 2017 (Twitter link via Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com).
  • Pierre Garcon, WR (49ers): Two years, $23MM. $17MM guaranteed. Options for 2019 ($6MM), 2020 ($8.9MM), and 2021 ($9.6MM) (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
  • Landry Jones, QB (Steelers): Two years, $4.4MM. $600K signing bonus (Twitter link via Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com).
  • A.J. Klein, LB (Saints): Four years, $24MM. $4MM signing bonus. $9.4MM guaranteed. 2020 season will void Klein is on Saints roster on last day of 2019 league year (via Nick Underhill of the Advocate).
  • Jeff Locke, P (Colts): Two years, $3.45MM. $1.25MM guaranteed (Twitter links via Ben Goessling of ESPN.com and Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star).
  • Ryan Mallett, QB (Ravens): One year, $2MM. $1MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Pelissero).
  • Akeem Spence, DL (Lions): Three years, $9MM. $3.5MM guaranteed. $1MM available via escalators (Twitter link via Peliserro).
  • D.J. Swearinger, S (Redskins): Three years, $13.5MM. $9MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Kinkhabwala).

Colts To Sign Barkevious Mingo

March 9th, 2017 at 5:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Colts lost out on some marquee free agents on Day 1 of the NFL’s player-movement period but agreed to sign an auxiliary pass-rusher in Barkevious Mingo. The deal is for one year and $2.5MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). Ben Volin of The Boston Globe tweets that the deal includes $500K in guaranteed money.Barkevious Mingo (Vertical)

Indianapolis entered free agency with a glaring need at the edge-rushing spots, with much of its 2016 sack total associated with UFAs or players that retired. Mingo will join the Colts as a former first-round pick but one who hasn’t lived up to his potential. Mingo registered seven sacks with the Browns in 2013-14 but none since, and the Patriots acquired him for a 2017 fifth-round pick.

Trent Cole and Erik Walden entered free agency, and Robert Mathis retired after the 2016 season. Those three were responsible for 18 Colts sacks last season. Mingo figures to play a depth role in Indy as he attempts to recapture some of the promise that made him the No. 6 pick in 2013.

Colts, Jeff Locke Agree To Deal

March 9th, 2017 at 4:12pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Colts have agreed to a two-year deal with free agent punter Jeff Locke, tweets Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

The 27-year-old Locke spent the first four seasons of his career with the Vikings, who had interest in re-signing him, according to Tomasson. He’ll instead take over for the retired Pat McAfee in Indianapolis. While McAfee was among the NFL top punters last year, Locke finished toward the bottom of the league in yards per punt and net average. However, he did rank fifth overall when it came to pinning opposing teams inside their 20-yard line.

PFR’s Dallas Robinson rated Locke as the top punter in a thin free agent class.

Patriots Acquire TE Dwayne Allen From Colts

March 9th, 2017 at 2:35pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots are trading for Colts tight end Dwayne Allen, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Patriots will be sending a fourth-rounder to the Colts in exchange for Allen and a sixth-round pick, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The deal has been confirmed by the Colts via press release.

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The deal, which had no prior buildup, comes as a complete surprise. The Patriots have now added one of the league’s best offensive tight ends and that presumably spells the end of Martellus Bennett‘s time with the team.

During his only season in New England, Bennett hauled in 55 catches for 701 yards and seven touchdowns. Considering Allen’s catching ability, he should be able to easily slide in as the number-two tight end behind Rob Gronkowski. Of course, the team also heavily relies on two tight end-sets, so Allen should get plenty of looks, especially in the red zone. The team is also rostering tight end Matt Lengel.

Allen was ranked 41st on Pro Football Focus‘ listing of tight ends (Bennett, meanwhile, was ranked 10th). The veteran performed better in the receiving game, but he struggled in both run and pass catching.

Allen signed a four-year, $29.4MM deal with the Colts one year ago today. Now, he’s slated to serve out the rest of that deal in New England. Allen is set to carry a $5.937MM cap number in 2017, which shouldn’t be too much of a burden on the Pats given the amount of space they presently have to work with. The Colts will free up $2.9MM in cap space, but they’ll also be left with $3MM in dead money.

The Colts re-signed fellow tight end Jack Doyle this week, making Allen somewhat expendable. The team will presumably be seeking a third tight end, as Erik Swoope is currently slotted as the backup.

Now, Indianapolis can redirect that money elsewhere. They have serious needs on the defensive line and they also have free agents of their own to still address, including versatile defensive back Darius Butler.

Photo via PFR on Instagram.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/9/17

March 9th, 2017 at 2:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Unrestricted free agent news will obviously dominate the day, but several clubs also had to make decisions on whether to offer tenders to restricted and exclusive rights free agents. All RFA tenders listed are original round/right of first refusal (worth $1.797MM), and all links go to Twitter:

RFAs:

Tendered:

Non-Tendered: 

ERFAs:

Tendered:

Non-Tendered: 

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