The Indianapolis Colts announced on Tuesday that they officially signed fifth-round pick Anthony Gould. Over the Cap now has the details on what Gould’s rookie deal will look like.
Gould earned a standard four-year rookie contract that totals $4.372 million with a signing bonus of $352,668.
Gould will receive the full signing bonus up front, but from a salary cap perspective, that $352,668 can be pro-rated over the life of the contract. Or, in short, the cap hit in 2024 from that bonus is just $88,167.
That pro-rated signing bonus amount plus a base salary of $795,000 makes up Gould’s cap hit for this season, which totals $883,167.
Moving forward, beyond 2024, a $88,167 cap hit from the pro-rated signing bonus will be on the Colts’ books all four years of the contract, along with Gould’s base salary increasing each year as well.
In 2025, Gould’s base salary will be $960,000. In 2026 it increases to $1.075 million, and then $1.190 million in 2027.
Here is a look at what Gould’s cap hit will be each season:
2024: $883,167
2025: $1.048 million
2026: $1.163 million
2027: $1.278 million
With 4.39 speed, Gould has the ability to impact the offense in a few different ways, whether that be as another vertical presence, as a motion man, and on designed touches or quick throws that get him the ball in space where his YAC abilities can take over. Last season at Oregon State, Gould averaged 16.4 yards per catch, with almost 40 percent of his catches going for 15-plus yards.
However, early on at least, Gould’s biggest impact may come on special teams as a return man. The Colts wanted to add a more dynamic presence in this aspect of the game. Gould averaged an impressive 15.7 yards per punt return in college with two touchdowns.
“This new kickoff return rule is going to change some things,” general manager Chris Ballard said. “It’s a little bit of an unknown right now but we think he’s got – he’s an explosive player with the ball in his hands, he has had a lot of success in college returning punts and he’s a pretty good wideout so excited to get him.”