Many fans and analysts are wondering why the Indianapolis Colts

John Simon Color Rush Jersey , who started free agency with the most cap space (well over 100M), are not splurging and spending money on big free agents. The Colts..." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteStampede Bluean Indianapolis Colts communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsColtsShopAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Colts StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Colts NewsYahoo Colts Team PageYahoo Colts ReportYahoo Colts Depth ChartYahoo Colts TransactionsYahoo Colts PhotosShop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕The Reason Why The Colts Aren’t SplurgingNew,294commentsEDTShareTweetShareShareThe Reason Why The Colts Aren’t SplurgingTrevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY SportsMany fans and analysts are wondering why the Indianapolis Colts, who started free agency with the most cap space (well over 100M), are not splurging and spending money on big free agents. The Colts have only made one free agent acquisition and that was Devin Funchess, whom they signed to a 1 year, 10M dollar deal that can turn into 13M with incentives. They have re-signed Pierre Desir to a nice deal and tendered a few of their restricted free agents, but the Colts have been one of the quietest teams in free agency, despite their enormous wealth. There is one big reason why they aren’t splurging: they have a lot of big free agents they need to re-sign next year.As it stands right now, the Colts are looking at these names as free agents next season:Anthony CastonzoJabaal SheardEric EbronJack DoyleRyan Kelly (Player Option)Devin FunchessKenny MooreJoe HaegMatthias FarleyHassan RidgewayLe’Raven ClarkChester RogersRigoberto SanchezJacoby BrissettThis list doesn’t include all the minor free agents and does not include any potential “surprise” players who might perform well this season. If the Colts were to re-sign Castonzo, Sheard, Ebron, Doyle and Kelly (on his 5th year player option), that alone would equate to somewhere between 46M and 58M dollars in cap space. Those figures are based on their current market value. Throw in quality, mid-tier players like Kenny Moore, Joe Haeg, Hassan Ridgeway, Rigoberto Sanchez and Matthias Farley, and you could be looking at another 15 to 22M. If the Colts like Devin Funchess and he plays well this season, then re-signing him might be another 12M. In short, the Colts have a lot of their own to take care of next year and that will require a lot of cap space. If we took the high end figure that was listed, then re-signing those players mentioned might cost the Colts 93M in cap space next year. That’s just 11 players and doesn’t include restricted and exclusive right free agents the Colts decide to tender. The Colts might also have to drop a few bucks on a new backup quarterback if Jacoby Brissett is on a different team next year. There is a decent chance that Chris Ballard is saving 110M dollars for next year’s Colts free agency group. Ballard has proven that he wants to re-sign his current crop of players instead of branching out into the free agency market. He did it this year with Pierre Desir and tendered several players. He also did something similar last year and two years ago with a few players like Jack Doyle and Adam Vinatieri. Ballard's model is similar to that of Green Bay’s during the Ted Thompson era, which was to build purely through the draft and use the cap space on their own free agents and to keep a strong core together. This worked as they won a Super Bowl in 2011. If the Colts were to not sign any more free agents and sign their projected draft class (without any significant trades), they would walk into free agency next season with approximately $165M. If we use the 110M figure that was listed before, then that leaves the Colts with 55M next year and that does not include next year’s draft class. It’s not to say the Colts are tight on cap space, they aren’t by any means, but if they intend to keep their own, then it will cost them a lot of money next year. If we assume next year’s draft class accounts for 10M in cap hits, and it costs 110M to retain all the high-end and mid-tier free agents on the Colts https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Chester-Rogers-Jersey , then that leaves the Colts with 45M left over for next year. That is a lot of money, but it doesn’t mean they can overpay on players like Trey Flowers and Dee Ford. The value-signing approach that Ballard has done over the past few seasons still needs to be in place as big money that’s wasted could come back to haunt the team in a couple of seasons. Over the first few days of free agency, we saw a lot of big players get massive deals. By most measures, the biggest free agency signings were overpaid. It doesn’t mean they were bad signings, but the amount of money they received exceeded their market value. If they don’t perform as expected, then those signings aren’t only bad on paper, but they have a stranglehold on a team’s cap situation for years to come. Ndamukong Suh’s deal with the Dolphins is a perfect example, as they are still paying Suh and are still taking in 12M in dead cap hit because of his release. Free agency is less than a week old, and as the second week approaches, we should see more contracts where the players receive deals more indicative of their market value. I still don’t expect Chris Ballard to start burning through paper, but we should see the Colts make a couple more signings when this “second session” approaches. The Colts also have TY Hilton as a free agent in 2021, so saving as much money as possible over the next few years is crucial.This isn’t about defending or bashing Ballard; when you get a patient general manager who is very hesitant to throw big money around in the first place and add in the fact that the Colts have a bunch of big free agents next season, the fact that he has been quiet this offseason shouldn’t be surprising.The one minor issue that will arise is the 89% threshold that each team must reach when spending money. The rule works that over a 4-year period, a team must spend 89% of their total salary cap. The rule states that from 2017 to 2020, the Colts must spend 89% of their salary cap in cash. The Colts have not reached that point yet, and still have another offseason to reach it. However, if they don’t reach 89%, the penalty isn’t severe as they must distribute the difference (between 89% and whatever they actually spent) amongst their own players and potentially lose a minor draft pick. With the amount of free agents next season, there’s a good chance that the Colts reach 89% in next year’s offseason alone. When managing a salary cap, a general manager must have a long-term approach. Anyone can sign players in a given season, but poor spending always catches up to you. It’s become obvious that Chris Ballard has a long-term approach to the salary cap and spending money. INDIANAPOLIS — Darius Leonard and Quenton Nelson made a quick impression on their veteran teammates.The first time the Indianapolis Colts wore pads at training camp, longtime left tackle Anthony Castonzo watched Nelson, the new left guard, stop defensive linemen cold on successive plays. Andrew Luck got a glimpse of Leonard’s skills when the new linebacker leapt in the air, twisted his body and picked off his pass.The veterans knew instantly this rookie class would be different.On Friday, Leonard and Nelson were rewarded for their remarkable debut seasons by becoming the second set of rookie teammates to be voted to The Associated Press All-Pro team. Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus were the other players to achieve first-team status in 1965, and both went on to have Hall of Fame careers with the Bears.“In both cases they bring a lot of juice into the meeting room, into the weight room. They have infectious leadership qualities,” first-year coach Frank Reich said. “Their love for the game Antonio Morrison Jersey , their love to compete at the highest level, I just think is very infectious, and you love their confidence to be able to just let that loose.”It happened faster than expected.While analysts generally regarded Nelson as a star down the road when the Colts took him No. 6 overall in April’s draft, the 6-foot-5, 330-pound guard was immediately penciled into the starting lineup and started showing flashes of what he could do. When the pads went on, Nelson turned up the intensity and became a smash hit.His nasty attitude set the tone for the Colts’ offensive line, and he teamed with Castonzo and center Ryan Kelly, Indy’s first-round picks in 2011 and 2016, to change the team’s reputation. As a result, Indianapolis (10-6) allowed a league-low 18 sacks this season after giving up a league-high 56 in 2017. Marlon Mack rushed for 100 yards four times — the most by a Colts running back in 11 years — and the Colts reached the playoffs for the first time since 2014.Now the honors are piling up, too.Nelson became the first Colts offensive lineman chosen to the Pro Bowl since Jeff Saturday in 2010, Indy’s first rookie Pro Bowler since Marshall Faulk in 1994, and the first guard to make it since Ron Solt in 1987. Now he’s the first Colts All-Pro lineman since Saturday in 2007.Castonzo knew it was possible from the start.“The first morning (of practice) at camp, he went in and absolutely stoned somebody, just locked him down. I don’t even know who it was,” Castonzo told the AP. “Then he did it again on the next play and you knew it wasn’t a fluke.”Leonard faced a more daunting challenge after starring at South Carolina State, an FCS school.General manager Chris Ballard became a fan after watching Leonard make 19 tackles against eventual national champion Clemson in 2016. He didn’t wait long to take Leonard, selecting him with the first of four second-round picks, No. 36 overall.Leonard’s transition was delayed, too. He worked out at the combine despite a quadriceps injury and was held out of offseason workouts when he tweaked the muscle. Naturally, Leonard felt like he was behind when he arrived at training camp. But he turned heads at camp with his interception — and never stopped.He wound up setting a franchise record with a league-leading 163 tackles and had seven sacks, six forced fumbles and two interceptions despite missing one game with a knee injury. He’s the first Indianapolis linebacker to be voted All-Pro since Robert Mathis won the league’s sacks title in 2013.How did he make the transition so smoothly?“You feel behind, but you know that’s when I got with coach (Matt) Eberflus and coach (Dave) Borgonzi every morning,” Leonard said. “We were doing everything, just spent more time going over everything in the morning (before practice).”It worked.Ballard issued a statement in which he took no credit for hitting the jackpot with his first two draft picks, though he certainly understands the magnitude of the feat after spending his first 12 NFL seasons in the Bears’ scouting department.“We are thrilled for Quenton and Darius and they are both deserving of All-Pro recognition,” he said. “Both will also be the first to credit their teammates for the honor. That’s a testament to the unique culture that has been developed in our building.”100<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | Raj Mehta