Among the pending free agents for the Indianapolis Colts this offseason will be wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, who is hoping to finish his career with the only team he’s ever played for.
While the Colts are hoping the money will be right for Hilton their offer, there is a chance the two sides disagree on his worth. If that happens, Hilton would be a free agent and available to sign elsewhere.
In Bill Barnwell’s predictions for the wide receivers in free agency, he had Hilton signing with the Dolphins on a one-year, $6 million deal.
While the hope was that Hilton might return to form with Philip Rivers at quarterback, the Indy wideout didn’t get back to the 1,270-yard heights of 2018. Hilton seemed snakebit at times near the end zone, although he developed more of a rapport with Rivers in the second half of the season.
With no idea of who will be under center for the Colts in 2021, we don’t have a great sense of what the Indy offense will even look like. Michael Pittman Jr. should play a larger role in his second pro season, and the organization has high hopes for Parris Campbell, who had 71 yards in the opener before going down with what ended up as a season-ending PCL injury in Week 2.
Hilton was born and raised in Miami, and if the Dolphins don’t draft a wideout with the No. 3 overall pick, they would still have room in their wideout corps for one more addition, even after signing Smith-Schuster.
Projected: One year, $6 million from the Dolphins
This would be an interesting move. The Colts have a need at wide receiver and Hilton showed he still has something left in the tank even if his consistent game-breaking talent isn’t there as often.
The Dolphins would seem like the only logical spot given that’s where Hilton’s roots are but it wouldn’t be outlandish if he retired following a low offer from the Colts. That’s purely speculation but Hilton did say before the 2020 season he wanted to get another contract and then retire as a Colt. Maybe if he doesn’t like the offer from the Colts, he calls it a career?
Again, that’s speculation and it isn’t clear how Hilton is feeling in terms of how much longer he wants to play.
It should also be noted that Barnwell didn’t predict the Colts to sign any of the 43 wide receivers on his list. Given their need at the position, that seems unlikely but should make for an interesting offseason.
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