I worry about overpaying older players because often their production falls off dramatically, and I don't want the Colts to be stuck with a large salary and very little production. Particularly Hunt, who doesn't have a long history of dominance.

Very true, though I'm not sure Ballard could get a top free agent to agree to the type of contract that Ballard has used with Hankins, Simon, etc. They'll want guarantees and other contract provisions that will make it hard for the Colts to cut them without serious cap consequences.

I'm not advocating paying Hunt. But I would like to point out, that this isn't an older player that has played a lot of snaps throughout his career.

I don’t see how you don’t pay him if he keeps playing like this. Don’t really care how old he is.

Agreed. Lots of linemen play well into their mid-30s. A 3 year contract is not a huge risk, IMO, especially with how little wear and tear is on him in relative terms.

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I'll concede you might be right, but there's definitely an increased risk as a player gets older. Here's an article I found which discusses the expected length of an NFL players career by position:

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/...to-nfl-players

One quote regarding defensive linemen:

"After a defensive lineman's seventh year in the NFL, his time is very, very short. Look at the huge drop-off in qualifying starters from year seven to year eight, and from year nine to year 10. The decline flattens for a while, as the best defensive linemen can stick around a very long time, but the quick development, long plateau and quick decline is obvious."

Ultimately, I guess it comes down to where this discussion began: the dollars involved.

Interesting article, but it mentions a chart that is never shows.