Among the many decisions the Indianapolis Colts have to make this offseason will include the expiring contract of wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, who faces an uncertain future with the team.
Hilton, who has been with the Colts since they drafted him in 2012, will be a free agent when the new league year arrives in mid-March. Colts owner and CEO Jim Irsay told the media Wednesday that he would love to see Hilton back wearing the horseshoe.
But he also admitted there is a business side to the process, and that has to align in order for Hilton to return.
“We’d love to see T.Y. (Hilton) back, there is no question about it. He is such a great Colt. What a competitor and still has excellent skills and can take over a game,” Irsay said. “I think that the biggest thing at this point in a career for athletes and you see it all the time is the competitive nature is, look there is a business side to it. You want a guy back but it has to fit into what you view, what the marketplace dictates and what other teams and where someone’s value falls with the price sign. It really comes down to that.”
Hilton endured a down year in 2020. It took a while for him and Philip Rivers to get going. Once they did, Hilton showed he still has that high-upside on a weekly basis. But overall, his season was somewhat of a disappointment statistically speaking.
That’s not to say Hilton can’t still be a viable asset in the passing game. The way teams rolled coverage his way showed opposing defenses still believe he’s a threat. But as it happens with older wide receivers, their game may not be as consistent.
That said, Irsay still believes the team wants to re-sign the former third-round pick if the financials line up.
“You love to see someone like T.Y. be back because he is such a good man, he’s such an outstanding football player and a selfless player that you are just hoping that it works out that way,” Irsay said. “But the market usually dictates that. That’s the aspect of free agency.”
Chris Ballard has his process and he rarely goes over the value they have on a player so it will be interesting to see what happens when the negotiations begin.
This will certainly be a storyline to watch over the next month as free agency approaches.
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