Tag: Michael Pittman Jr.

25 best free agent targets for the Patriots in 2024

Here are the 25 best free agent options for the Patriots

The New England Patriots are expected to be aggressive in free agency this offseason in an effort to fill multiple holes on their roster.

It’s no secret that the onus for the 4-13 finish in 2023 falls predominantly on the offensive struggles. There’s a need to fill at every offensive position for New England, most notably at quarterback, wide receiver and offensive tackle.

However, don’t think for one second that the defense will go ignored. That unit was one of the best in the NFL last season, and it kept the team in games that would have otherwise turned into blowouts.

If the Patriots hope to remain competitive in 2024, they’ll need to continue adding defensive playmakers to keep games close. In no particular order, here are the 25 best potential free agent targets for the Patriots:

What would it cost Colts to franchise tag Michael Pittman Jr?

Here is the cost of the non-exclusive franchise tags.

The Indianapolis Colts officially know what they are working with in terms of the salary cap, and they now also know what it would cost to franchise tag wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.

While both parties would like to avoid that scenario, it’s still a tool the Colts can use if they can’t agree on a contract extension before the franchise tag deadline of March 5.

If the Colts wanted to use the non-exclusive franchise tag on the talented wide receiver, it would cost them $21,816,000 for the 2024 season.

It was reported Friday night that the Cincinnati Bengals are planning to apply the tag to wide receiver Tee Higgins. They can still negotiate a long-term deal, but this keeps him from technically hitting the open market.

The Colts could take the same route if they don’t get a deal done before the March 5 deadline. Pittman has stated this offseason that he would be willing to accept the franchise tag if it led to a contract extension.

General manager Chris Ballard has never used the franchise tag since his arrival in 2017, and the Colts haven’t used it since 2013 when they applied the tender to punter Pat McAfee.

The increase in the salary cap to $255.4 million should help the Colts get a deal done considering they are among the leaders in salary-cap space.

However, the official numbers of the franchise tag at least give them something to lean on if a deal doesn’t get done.

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How the Colts are impacted by NFL’s $255.4M salary cap

How the increased salary cap impacts the Colts in 2024.

The NFL announced the salary cap for the 2024 season, increasing an unprecedented $30 million from the previous campaign up to $255.4 million. How will the Indianapolis Colts be impacted?

With this new figure, the Colts now sit at $72.3 million in salary-cap space (sixth-most) and $68.1 million in effective salary-cap space (fifth-most), according to Over The Cap.

The Colts already knew they were entering into the 2024 offseason among the leaders in salary-cap space. However, the figure the league announced Friday is roughly $10 million more than most teams expected to be working with this offseason.

The extra flexibility might be enough to help the Colts sign multiple contract extensions with some big names like Michael Pittman Jr., Kenny Moore II and Grover Stewart—all of which are slated to be unrestricted free agents in March.

The biggest name is Pittman, who is the catalyst for the offense. A contract extension for the team’s WR1 is expected to be above $20 million annually, and the franchise tag numbers are now official with the announcement of the salary cap.

If the Colts wanted to use the non-exclusive franchise tag on Pittman, it would cost them $21.8 million.

It will be interesting to see how this will shake out for the Colts, but the higher salary-cap number should work in their favor to get deals done with their big-name free agents.

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Colts’ Michael Pittman Jr. ranked among top offensive free agents

CBS Sports ranked Michael Pittman Jr. among top offensive free agents.

It has been well documented that Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is among the top offensive players set to hit the free-agent market during the 2024 offseason.

Add CBS Sports to the list of outlets ranking Pittman among the top players on the offensive side of the ball. In their latest rankings, the Colts’ top receiver came in at No. 4 overall among offensive players behind wide receivers Mike Evans and Tee Higgins and quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Here’s what CBS Sports had to say about Pittman:

Pittman is coming off the best season of his career, having racked up 109 catches for 1,152 yards and four scores last year despite going through a system change and multiple quarterback injuries. He has great size and is a threat to run after the catch with the ball in his hands. He may not quite be an alpha for your passing game, but he’s a really good fit as a high-level X receiver.

It’s unlikely Pittman will hit the market as an unrestricted free agent. If the two sides fail to agree on a contract extension, the Colts can use the non-exclusive franchise tag.

In doing so, Pittman can still test the market and gauge other teams’ interest in his services while giving the Colts a chance to match any offer he receives.

There is no denying Pittman’s importance to the offense. Simply look at the Week 16 game against the Atlanta Falcons. The offense was put on a horrendous show on the road.

The Colts have until March 5 to apply the franchise tag if they feel the need to so we’ve got roughly two weeks until a decision must be made.

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ESPN lists best free agent fits for Michael Pittman Jr., Kenny Moore II

ESPN’s Matt Bowen believes the Colts are the best fit for Michael Pittman Jr. and Kenny Moore II.

The Indianapolis Colts have a long list of pending free agents who had massive impacts throughout the 2023 season, including wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and cornerback Kenny Moore II.

While it isn’t clear what will happen to either one, there is a level of expectation that both will return to the team on new contracts this offseason.

ESPN’s Matt Bowen listed the best free-agent fits for the top-50 players set to hit the market, which includes Pittman (No. 17) and Moore (No. 31). He agrees with the notion that the best fit for both players.

17. Michael Pittman Jr., WR

Best team fit: Indianapolis Colts

Regardless of whether it’s an extension or the franchise tag, if I were the Colts, I wouldn’t let the talented receiver walk. Pittman has both the production and the great fit in Shane Steichen’s offense. In 2023, he posted a career-high 1,152 receiving yards, with 44.5% of those yards coming after the catch. And with a healthy Anthony Richardson back under center, the Colts have to retain their top target; Pittman can win at all three levels of the field.

Pittman’s case is interesting considering the Colts have the franchise tag in their back pocket if they need it. A contract extension would be the ideal path for both sides, but it’s unclear how far apart they are.

Pittman would be able to fit into most offenses seamlessly as an X-receiver, but his best fit is remaining with the Colts.

As for Moore, Bowen held the same feeling about his best fit on the market.

31. Kenny Moore II, CB

Best team fit: Indianapolis Colts

The best scheme fit for Moore would be staying home with the Colts in defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s system. He’s one of the top slot corners in the NFL, with the ability to match in coverage outside. Moore had three interceptions in 2023 and has picked off 17 passes in his pro career.

Moore’s situation isn’t as cut and dry as Pittman’s even if it the expectation should be that the Colts re-sign him. Where these two sides are in terms of his value remains to be seen. Moore is getting up there in age, but he did just come off arguably his best season.

Regardless, the Colts defense would suffer greatly without Moore’s presence in the slot considering what he provides both in coverage and in run defense.

We’ll see what happens with both players over the next three weeks before the market officially opens, but the best situation for both of them likely is to return to the Colts.

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Ranking Colts’ pending free agents by importance

Ranking the Colts’ most important pending free agents.

The Indianapolis Colts have 14 players set to be unrestricted free agents this offseason with a number of players from that list who were major contributors for the team in 2023.

The Colts, despite having the fifth most cap space in the NFL (roughly $58.9 million) according to Over The Cap, will have to make some potentially tough decisions in regard to how they allocate those funds this offseason

Here, we are ranking these 14 players by their importance to retain for general manager Chris Ballard and Indianapolis in 2024.

 

Franchise tag window opens for Colts, Michael Pittman Jr.

The franchise tag window opens Tuesday afternoon.

The Indianapolis Colts can officially apply the franchise tag tender to any pending free agent Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. ET.

While the Colts have several vital players set to hit the market, only one is a candidate to receive the franchise tag: wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.

The franchise tag isn’t necessarily a bad thing for either side. In this case, the Colts can use the franchise tag as a tool to extend the negotiating window for a new contract extension.

The Colts have until March 5 to apply the designation so it would be a mild surprise if the team applied the tag right away. The two sides have time to come to an agreement on a contract extension, but if they don’t before the deadline, then the franchise tag would make sense.

Which tag the Colts would hypothetically apply matters as well. If the Colts apply the exclusive franchise tag, Pittman can’t negotiate with other teams. However, if the Colts apply the non-exclusive franchise tag (the most likely option), Pittman could still gauge the market.

On the non-exclusive franchise tag, the Colts could match any offer Pittman receives from another team. They also have the choice to refuse it, which would net them two first-round picks.

Pittman has expressed his desire to test the market, but he also has stated he’s not against the franchise tag if it means it leads to a contract extension.

The non-exclusive franchise tag seems like a solid option for both sides. Pittman gets to test the market, and the Colts get an idea of what other teams would offer.

The Colts have not used the franchise tag since 2013 when they used it on punter Pat McAfee. During the Chris Ballard era, there hasn’t really been a viable tag candidate before Pittman.

Regardless, the window for the franchise tag opens Tuesday afternoon, and we’ll keep you updated on any breaking information regarding these developments.

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Ranking 2024’s top 12 free-agent wide receivers

You may want to bookmark this one, Panthers fans.

We know that Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young can’t do it alone. So, the newly-constructed braintrust needs to find him some help—and that search could start on the open market.

Here are the top 12 free-agent wide receivers for the 2024 offseason:

 

5 moves the Colts should make to get back to the playoffs in 2024

How the Colts can get back into the playoffs.

The Indianapolis Colts have missed the playoffs in each of the last three seasons with narrow misses coming in two of them.

The last time the Colts were in the playoffs, Philip Rivers was the quarterback and Frank Reich was about to sign an extension as the head coach at the time.

Now, the Colts have a hopeful future led by young quarterback Anthony Richardson and head coach Shane Steichen. They missed out on the playoffs by one game in 2023, and the AFC South is now loaded with competition from the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Getting back to the playoffs is not an easy task. Here are X moves they can make this offseason to get back to the postseason to end this mini drought:

Colts among teams ‘best set up for the future’

PFF sees a bright future for the Colts.

The Indianapolis Colts find themselves in a position to build off a surprisingly solid season despite many things going against them.

Now, they enter the 2024 offseason with a lot of salary-cap space and a young quarterback who will look to take the next step after his rookie season was cut short due to injury.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Colts are among the five teams that are best set up for the future.

4. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS ($58.9M IN CAP SPACE)

The Colts don’t have quite as much cap room as the Titans, but given where quarterback Anthony Richardson was selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, they will be confident that they have the position figured out for the foreseeable future.

Perhaps they will look to make a splash on defense and add an impact defender like cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, who earned a 71.1 PFF grade with the Kansas City Chiefs this past regular season. But the biggest advantage of having so much cap room is that they can place the franchise tag on wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. as they look to keep him around long term.

Re-signing Pittman is the first piece of action the Colts must take. Signing him to an extension would be ideal, but they also have the franchise tag in their back pocket if they need it.

Adding more explosiveness on the offensive side of the ball is necessary this offseason to help further the development of Anthony Richardson.

On the defensive side of the ball, adding to the cornerback room will help with the depth concerns. Whether they go after a big fish like Sneed remains to be seen because Ballard rarely spends up in free agency.

Regardless, the Colts have a solid foundation to build off going into the offseason, and it should be interesting to see how they go about things given they know who their quarterback is.

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