Are the Colts cheap? What's their salary cap situation? Can they add more cap space? Is General Manager Chris Ballard going to sign free agents?
We can't answer the last question but we can answer the others you might have about NFL free agency and the Colts. Here's everything you need to know about the Colts and free agency this offseason.
The Colts have ranked in the bottom half of the league four of the five years in that stretch - 24th in 2024, 21st in 2023, 24th in 2022 and 17th in 2020 - but were 8th in 2021.
No. The Colts have spent $318,142,500 on free agents over the past five seasons. Yes, that's a massive amount of money, but it ranks 28th among the 32 NFL teams.
Interestingly, there is a strong negative correlation between free agency spending and wins. The Carolina Panthers have spent the most on free agents in this five-year period and have the fewest wins. Jacksonville has spent the second-most and won the third-fewest games. Baltimore and Green Bay are in the top five in wins and bottom five in free agency spending.
The Colts currently have $28,467,573 available under the salary cap, the 18th most in the NFL, according to overthecap.com.
NFL allows certain contractual agreements that move money around under the salary cap. For example, a player can be signed to a four-year, $40 million contract with a $20 million signing bonus and no other guaranteed money. The salary cap is charged $10 million per year. However, if the player is cut after two seasons, the team's salary cap is only charged the remaining signing bonus money ($5 million per season), giving it $5 million more under the cap the final two seasons. The $5 million each of the last two seasons is called dead cap space because it still counts against the cap even though the player is no longer on the roster.
The Colts can create more salary cap space by cutting players who have non-guaranteed money as explained above. Here are some - but not all - of the players the Colts could cut to free up additional money under the cap.
The Colts would add nearly $40 million in salary cap space if they cut these five players. Of course, they'd have to replace them, and the above five players would still count $15 million against the salary cap.
Full list of Colts' salary cap savings: Who the Colts can cut to add salary cap space
NFL teams roll over any unspent money under the salary cap to the following season.
In 2019, the Colts had the most cap space in the NFL at $41,745,481, according to Spotrac.com. However, they were more than $30 million over the cap in 2020 because of rolled over money and have since spent roughly at the cap for each season:
Here is a list of key Colts free agents, including their age and 2024 salary:
The Tennessee Titans will get the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. They were one of three teams with a 3-14 record, but they did that against a weaker schedule than the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants.
Green Bay, Wis., around Lambeau Field and the Titletown District, from April 24-26 (Thursday-Saturday), 2025.
Possibilities include Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Miami quarterback Cam Ward and Colorado receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter.