Melvin wanted 5 years/$10+million per year from the Colts. He signed for 1 year/$6.5 million with the Raiders. He wanted to leave.

Hard to fault Ballard for not biting on that if true.

Why he was so desperate to leave, that’s another question...

Been a f’n circus the last year and a half at least. Maybe longer. If Ballard (rightly) didn’t want to overpay him why stay? With the change in D and coaching staff there really isn’t any more risk in leaving than staying. If you don’t think the GM believes in you why stay on a rebuilding team itching to replace you?

California<<<Indiana.

I don't think its an issue of him being desperate to leave Indy. My understanding is that he thinks he's a CB1 and wanted CB1 dollars. Colts value him as a CB2 and offered him CB2$. Colts said, go test the market. He tested the market and saw nobody valued him as a CB1 and so his next best option is to take a 1 year deal somewhere else where he can prove himself worthy of CB1 $. Colts were never going to value him as such and so he left. I don't get the thinking that Ballard "did nothing" to retain him or that Melvin "hated Indy".
Sometimes this stuff can be other thought. It's free agency and everyone talent/teams are trying to make the best deal they can. It's business, not personal.

Without even trying to resign him? How would you even know that?

How can you fault Ballard for not paying him $3.5M more than any other team thought he was worth?

Sure, Melvin is a decent corner. You're acting like without him we would have won zero games last year instead of 4.

TC is full of shit, they did try to re-sign him, he wanted a longer-term CB1 type contract from the Colts, he took a 1 year prove it elsewhere.

Doesn't change a thing...

Depth gone... hole opens up

Nate Hairston played well last year and I think Quincy Wilson will be able to step in and play well too. You're overreacting to this Melvin thing pretty extremely.