One man’s plan for 2026

[Kray007]

The Colts, currently, have 27 projected free agents, next year. But, most of them are of the nickel and dime variety, so we’ll ignore them for now, and worry about signing them after the dust settles.

They’re currently slated to have something like $49 Million in cap space, and it seems inevitable that that number will increase after the league makes adjustments. They just sold the NFL network to ESPN, and it’ll be interesting to see how the league and players hash out how much of the deal is credited to league revenue.

The only free agents I prioritize signing to new deals are Jones, Braden Smith, Alec Pierce, Nick Cross, and, maybe Pratt. By backloading contracts, I can probably get those deals done for a combined cap hit of somewhere around $41 to $46 Million

$15-20 for Jones
$8 to Smith
$11 to Pierce
$7 to Cross.

That leaves me with right around $5 Million.

So, I restructure or resign Buckner, lowering his cap hit down from $26 Million to $10. A lot depends on my willingness to commit to a 32 year old player, no matter how good.
Sign Pittman to a new deal that lowers his hit from $29 Million to $9
Ditto Q, lowering his number by $14 Million.

That frees up $50 Million in cap space, increasing it to $55 Million.

Use a chunk of that to sign Hendrickson, creating a nightmare scenario for Offensive coordinators.

If I’m feeling very adventurous, I then turn to Linebacker Devin Lloyd who’s been lights out in Jacksonville. If he’s unavailable, i shake the bushes for a productive linebacker who’s willing to take less in exchange for the chance to play for Anarumo and a ring.

Nab the best Linebacker I can find in round 2, even if it means I have to trade up.

Barring injury, that would make them prohibitive favorites to walk away with a Lombardi in 2027.