With NFL free agency just over a month away, there are several players the Indianapolis Colts may have their eyes on—including veteran wide receiver A.J. Green.

The Road So Far

The No. 4 overall pick out of Georgia in 2011, Green has been arguably the most consistent wide receiver in the NFL since entering the league. He put up five consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to begin his career. He would have done so in every season of his career had he not sustained injuries in 2016 and 2018.

At the age of 32, Green is an unrestricted free agent with his latest contract extension expiring following the 2019 season. Even with his increasing age and recent injury history, Green is expected to be one of the top receivers on the market.

Green missed all of 2019 due to torn ligaments in his ankle. He was expected to make it back early in the season but it wound up taking the entire campaign to heal.

Fit With The Colts

It isn’t often that a player of Green’s caliber hits the market. There is a chance he doesn’t if the Bengals get him a new deal before he reaches free agency. But if Green does wind up hitting the market, the Colts should be all over him—medicals pending, of course.

While the ankle injury should bring some pause, Green was still an extremely productive wide receiver before that. In his age-30 season (2018), Green played nine games while recording 46 receptions for 694 yards and six touchdowns. Extrapolate that for a full season and Green was on pace for 82 receptions for 1,233 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Now, it should be stated that we don’t know how Green will recover from an injury that lasted longer than everyone expected. But if Green’s medicals check out, he would be a wonderful fit for the Colts offense.

Price

This is always the factor with Chris Ballard. He doesn’t like to spend in free agency even if it means potentially adding a WR1 to the offense. According to Spotrac’s market value model, Green is projected to be valued with a two-year deal worth $18.2 million. If that’s what it will take to bring Green to Indy, Ballard should be all over it—again, as long as the medicals check out.

That price should be in the wheelhouse for Ballard. The only question is whether the market might push Green’s contract demands higher than that. If they do, it’s tough to see Ballard overpaying for a 32-year-old wide receiver coming off of a lengthy ankle injury.

Conclusion

If Green does wind up hitting the market and his medicals check out, the Colts should bring him in. Even at the age of 32 in July, Green could potentially bring the Colts the type of playmaker the offense has been needing alongside T.Y. Hilton.

There is no denying the Colts are still building for the future but adding a player like Green in free agency will keep the offense competitive, especially with how poorly the passing offense was in 2019.

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