As the Indianapolis Colts prepare for the upcoming offseason, they continue to await the word of left tackle Anthony Castonzo, who is expected to make his decision about retirement soon.
When listening to Castonzo at the beginning of the offseason, it didn’t sound like a player that was truly thinking about retirement until those questions were asked. But there is still a decision to make for the Colts’ left tackle.
Part of that decision might be what the Colts offer him on his next contract. Given the state of the market, offensive tackles are paid well and even though Castonzo will be entering his age-32 season, he should be receiving a nice pay raise from his previous contract, which officially expires on March 18.
Re-signing Castonzo is the first order of business for general manager Chris Ballard. The offensive line is the strength of the team, and Castonzo played a heavy part in the unit’s success and has been for the past few years now.
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If Ballard is able to convince Castonzo to return, it could come in the form of a two-year deal. This gives the Colts their starting left tackle for the next two seasons while also giving them some time to find his successor on the blindside. It also gives Castonzo something of a reward for the work he has done since entering the league in 2011.
In terms of average annual salary, here are the top offensive tackle contracts currently in the NFL, per Spotrac:
- Lane Johnson | Philadelphia Eagles | $18 million
- Trent Brown | Oakland Raiders | $16.5 million
- Taylor Lewan | Tennessee Titans | $16 million
- Nate Solder | New York Giants | $15.5 million
- Jake Matthews | Atlanta Falcons | $14.5 million
- Joe Staley | San Francisco 49ers | $14 million
- Donovan Smith | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $13.75 million
Castonzo probably isn’t looking to become the highest-paid offensive tackle in the league. That said, he’s likely to get a contract that approaches that top tier.
Given his talent level, the way the market continues to increase and the boatloads of money the Colts have in salary cap space, Castonzo could be seeing one of the top average annual salaries in the NFL among offensive linemen.
Not to mention, Castonzo has all of the leverage in negotiations. He can simply retire and the Colts will be hard-pressed to find a solution as good as him on the cheap.
But that doesn’t seem like Castonzo’s M.O. in all reality. The Colts will be willing to pay near-top dollar to secure their immediate future at left tackle while they search for his successor.
So what might Castonzo’s next contract look like if he decides to return? Our prediction below:
Two years | $35 million | $26.25 million guaranteed
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