When it comes to this offseason, there are several moves the Indianapolis Colts will have to consider. Among them will be what to do with their pending free agents.
With the new league year set to begin midway through March, the Colts have roughly 20 players set to hit the market. Cornerback Xavier Rhodes is one of the biggest names in that group and after a strong bounce-back campaign in 2020, he should have a solid market.
However, Pro Football Focus listed Rhodes as the one free agent the Colts can’t afford to lose.
Rhodes’ career resurgence in Indianapolis played a major role in Indianapolis’ return to the postseason. The Colts have a star slot cornerback in Kenny Moore II and a young up-and-comer in 2019 second-round pick Rock Ya-Sin, retaining Rhodes and running it back with this group again could lead to further success as Ya-Sin continues to progress.
Impressively, the Colts really aren’t set to lose many key players. One could argue Philip Rivers should be the name here, but Indianapolis could decide to turn toward the future and find a franchise quarterback; it would be hard to argue with that logic.
This was written before the news that Rivers would be retiring after 17 NFL seasons, but Rhodes still remains arguably the biggest free agent set to hit the market for the Colts.
During his year-end press conference, general manager Chris Ballard hinted that the team is likely to let Rhodes test free agency. They aren’t one to get into a bidding war and given that his market should include several teams, it seems Rhodes could be available when the new league year opens.
Whether that will work out for the Colts remains to be seen. They have a massive need at cornerback after the rocky season for Rock Ya-Sin and despite Kenny Moore continuing to be their most versatile defender.
What happens with Rhodes and the Colts will come down to money and we may not know how either side is feeling until the market opens officially on March 17.
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