Maybe, but that assumes the Cheats end up not getting and AJ Brown and/or would still be interested in paying Pierce. Also, we might not have to really outbid them depending on how Pierce looks at his finances. MA income tax is 9.5% vs. 3% for Indiana and the cost of living in Bahston is obviously significantly more than Indy.

With that being said I wouldn't be surprised to see the Bears make a run and possibly sign Pierce since they're moved DJ Moore.

o


In what is probably the least popular idea on the entire ColtFreaks board, I would keep Daniel Jones to maximize the QB 1-2 punch (a Daniel Jones-Riley Leonard 1-2 punch is stronger than a Riley Leonard-Anthony Richardson 1-2 punch), and let at least one of the 2 wide receivers walk (and in fact, let both of them walk if absolutely necessary in order to comply with the salary cap.)

Since he was hired as the team's GM back in January of 2017, Ballard said that he intended to build complete teams that were not overly-reliant on all-world quarterbacks ....... my proposal would be doing the opposite of that narrative, but for one season and one season only.

But my line of thinking DOES NOT belie or disagree with what Ballard has been doing for the past 8 years ...... I think that both theories can be true, and they are not necessarily mutually exclusive of one another over a long period of time (January of 2017 through the Present) ...... variety is the spice of life, and flexibility and adapting is a big key to life longevity ...... I think that Ballard HAS built a strong team that can be bona-fide contenders with good-but-not-necessarily-great quarterbacks ...... but now is the time to shift gears ....... now that he has a strong team that almost beat the world champion Seattle Seahawks on their homefield with a 44 year-old Philip Rivers at quarterback, NOW is the time to focus primarily on the quarterback position, if only for one year ...... and being that the 2026 season is very likely Ballard's last chance to produce his 2nd playoff team in his 10th season as the team's GM, he needs to go for broke, shift gears, and do the opposite of what he has been doing for his first 9 season's at the helm ...... lock up the good-but-not great quarterback (Top 8 in the NFL, but not Top 4), have a back-up quarterback that may very well be just as good as the 1st-string quarterback in case of an injury to the former, and trust that whomever is at the wideout positions does not have butterfingers.



***************************************


All of the above is coming from a person who was half-witted and mindless enough to proclaim that Case Keenum would have a longer and more distinguished NFL career than Andrew Luck would when both were entering the league back in 2012.







https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ikings2017.jpg OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...rowns_2014.jpg

o

Let's see what Ballard ends up giving us a a final roster. Lots of holes to fill and has done zero so far, but it is early (at some point we are going to need to clear some cap-what are we waiting for?). My issue is I've been down this road with Ballard multiple times over the years and it has never turned out well (I define well as a deep playoff run with a possibility of a Super Bowl). Maybe this year but it is hard to get pumped about this so far for me or most of us.

Somehow, despite your factual statement about the guy NOT building success, the guy above you believes the guy has?

WTF?

Zaire is gone...
Traded to GB for Colby Wooden- who I know nothing about.

Dude did some good things and great to see a guy climb up the ranks, but this to me is clearly a situation where the statement about needing to be faster is put into practice!

Colby Wooden

https://www.pro-football-reference.c...tm#all_defense

At least he's young and hopefully fast.

Great story and epitome of hard work. I have nothing bad to say about Zaire, good luck to him. Wonder if Warren gets 44 now?

21 missed tackles
In 2025, Zaire Franklin had a challenging season, totaling 125 tackles (62 solo) but also 21 missed tackles, which ranked him 81st among linebackers. Despite this, he had a notable performance with 2.0 sacks and five passes defended. His missed tackles were a significant concern, as he struggled with pass coverage, leading to discussions about potential trade as the Colts aim to address their cap situation.

Hmmm, Colts trade for a starting defensive tackle. Wonder if this means anything for Buckner or Grover.

o


We got a lot out of a 7th-round drafter pick from 2018.

Between 2019 and 2021, Franklin was excellent on special teams. He evolved into an excellent linebacker between 2022 and 2024, culminating in his 2024 All-Pro season when he led the league with 173 tackles.

After his sub-par 2025 season, he is headed elsewhere.

o

Stephen Holder
@HolderStephen
·
15m
We'll see what happens, but Colby Wooden seems like an interesting add. He led Green Bay's defensive line in tackles last season (50) and started 16 games. And he's just 25.

According to Gemini AI, this trade clears 5.75 million in cap space for the Colts.

Net gain 4.6 million.

I think you misrepresented what that guy said. How does 'he's done zero' and 'Ive been down this road with him...and it never turns out' equate with success. Since he is our GM I am rooting for a miracle from him, that's all. I think no miracle is coming but as of yet it still could happen.

Late to the party perhaps but I was just reading about this trade for Colby Wooden and seems like a no brainer win to me. He is young at 25, 4th round(?) pick and most importantly he is cheap money wise for now.

Cap savings are clearly needed for now in any case and waiting to see what they do with Pittman´s payout give we need to get Pierce locked in and maybe Crosss yet though not holding my breath either...

Bring on the draft, which I understand may be strong for DL folks. Prepping the popcorn and extra suds for this year´s draft show. :cool:

I’d love to see Caden Curry getting called by Ballard

Have to get under the cap this week. My guess is we see restructures of Pittman, Buckner, Stewart, and Moore happen, unless one of them is traded or released. Then we will sign Pierce back and still be under the cap. At least, this is what I hope to see happen.

The fuck?

Adam Ferrell
@AdamFerrellNFL
·
1h
Report: The #Jets are seeking a first round pick for Justin Fields, per
@RichJohnsonNFL

Mike Garafolo
@MikeGarafolo
The #Colts and K Blake Grupe have agreed to terms on a one-year deal worth up to $1.4 million, per his agent Mike Delle Donne. Grupe was 11-for-11 on field goals in five games after Indy signed him in December.

Jake Arthur
@JakeArthurNFL
·
3m
For those keeping score ahead of the negotiating window, the #Colts have:

-Transition tagged QB Daniel Jones
-Traded LB Zaire Franklin to Green Bay for DT Colby Wooden
-Re-signed K Blake Grupe to a one-year deal

I think this was a great move. We don't know if/when Schrader will be back.

Or if he will be the same. Grupe played very well last yr.

I am seeking a 5'10" blond, 24-32, with Pam Anderson attributes who enjoys gratuitous displays of nudity 24 hours a day...per@medreamingofinsanity

...we all are allowed to have dreams, no matter how delusional they may be!

James Boyd
@RomeovilleKid
The #Colts are now $105,711 over the salary cap after retaining K Blake Grupe, per Over the Cap.

Two reminders:

1. The Colts have to be under the salary cap by Wednesday.
2. The Colts-Packers trade involving Zaire Franklin and Colby Wooden can’t be official until then, either.

Talks between Pierce and Colts are supposedly going down to the wire. My bet is he hits the open market but if he doesn't what would the highest you would think reasonable to bring him here? Would anyone go over 30 million a year?

As much as I want him to be a Colt, no I would not pay him 30 mil.

And I’m looking for a date with Scarlet Johansson.

hell no

I believe the ceiling is $27M

Think about this and decide if he is worth 27million per season. He will definitely have to have 120=150 targets per season to justify it IMO

Evan Sidery
@esidery
·
1h
Teams now believe Alec Pierce will agree to a contract between $28-30 million annually today, per
@AlbertBreer
(https://si.com/nfl/albert-breer-free...-wow-contracts).

If Pierce does not re-sign with the Colts, three teams are waiting to aggressively pursue: 49ers, Patriots, Raiders.

Reposting in this thread as well.


Adam Schefter
@AdamSchefter
·
11m
Indy lands its top target: Free-agent WR Alec Pierce is returning to the Colts with a four-year, $116 million deal, per @PatMcAfeeShow.


I guess Ballard isn't as inept as some may say.


I do think that means that MJP is gonna get moved, if not restructured

Zak Keefer
@zkeefer
·
16m
Alec Pierce to
@PatMcAfeeShow
:

"I knew where my heart was. I love the city of Indianapolis."

"(When we were 8-2) ... I truly believe we were the No. 1 team in the NFL."

Of his QB, Daniel Jones, "I know they’re gonna get his (longterm) deal done."

Whether Ballard is inept or not will depend on what kind of team he puts on the field. Pierce is a great start, although I think Pierces agents deserve a ton of credit for getting him $29 million a year. Good for him. Let's see how we go about clearing cap room and restructuring our defense.

Going to Pittsburgh.

Guess he didn't want to restructure. I hear it is a late round pick swap.

He gets a new contract with the Steelers - three-year, $59 million deal

Ballard is on fire!!!

Where's Sherck?

Need a cap update. Can we still get Trey and or Edmunds?

Pittman will be missed more than people realize. He made a lot of tough catches over the middle. I hope Pierce is up to the challenge.

In the back f my mind I can't stop thinking about playing with a broken back last season.

He's tough as nails but that is a scary injury moving forward

Philips is off the market. Still hoping for Trey and Edmunds

Adam Schefter
@AdamSchefter
·
38m
Sources: Jaelan Phillips has agreed to a 4-year, $120 million deal with the Carolina Panthers with $80M in guarantees.