Given the unprecedented offseason the Indianapolis Colts saw amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there weren’t any contract extensions given to a player.
For some teams, this is normal for the offseason. But for the Colts, they are typically a team that likes to get extensions done during the summer months before training camp. They couldn’t do that this offseason, however, given the uncertainty of future implications on the salary cap.
General manager Chris Ballard spoke to the media Wednesday, hinting that there could be some talks about extensions coming up soon.
“Yeah, we needed some clarity on where we were going. Now, we have a little more clarity and we’re currently working on a plan of how we want to move forward,” Ballard said. “I’ve always been one that – you want to try to lock up your own players early and get them locked up, but with so much uncertainty out there we didn’t know what the next two or three years were going to look like. You have to project out here when you’re building your roster and extending players. Now that we have a little more clarity, we’ll have some lines in the water and see what happens.”
The Colts have a few players who may be in line for an extension whether it be for two years or beyond that. There are obvious names like center Ryan Kelly and wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, both of which are free agents in 2021 but are likely at the top of the list in terms of potential extensions.
Then there are the other names with more question marks surrounding their future with the team like linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. and running back Marlon Mack.
It will be interesting to see what comes of any contract talks during training camp but with more clarity on the future implications of the salary cap, this will be a development to watch over the next month.