2022 NFL Free Agency
 

Is it just me or should the Colts not be re-signing those of their free agents that they want to retain?

The "soft" free agency period starts at noon tomorrow and we have not re-signed a single of our pending free agents.

Do we really not want to retain any of our guys?

I think we do, but could it be that Ballard wants to get the QB first? Or he is targeting other players at the same position?

I do know that we need to sign about 20 players just to fill out the roster, so we will be signing a few back.

Will it be typical Ballard fashion and get the leftovers on Day 3 or jump right in? :eek:

Za'Darius Smith is being released by the Packers. He put up 26 sacks in his first two years with Green Bay before missing nearly all of last year with an injury.

Looks like he is waiting for the leftovers ..........again !!

I've been a big supporter of Ballard. It is waning. At some point your team needs to start winning. In his 5 year tenure we have had one post season win-in 2018. WTF did Irsay mean by 'all in'? It is early but I expect the Colts to spend some of that cap money on someone other than day 3 signings. This losing is getting old.

I tend to agree but fixing the qb position is the only really important job Ballard has, imo. That’s all that really matters.

Haasan Reddick signed with Eagles-3 years 45 million

That's a good contract. I imagine he took a hometown discount since he went to Temple.
Quinton Nelson will soon be making more money than Haasan Reddick! Lol!

I completely agree with your post.

to me, irsay's comment about 'all chips in' just meant full commitment to the team. this was a direct dig at wentz who irsay felt wasnt committed to doing what it takes to win. not necessarily a comment to ballard to go balls out with signings. I think it was a bad phrase to use and has been misconstrued. he was talking about commitment vs. extreme risk.

Engram is slated to sign a one-year deal with the Jaguars, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports

While QB is by far the top priority there are other high priorities that need to be addressed: LT, CB, WR (although no point here unless we get a QB), DE, S. If Ballard sits on $70M in cap space and doesn't adequately fill any of these then he needs to be shown the door.

Maybe, players don't want to play for the Colt's !!

Players don’t want to play at a discount for the Colts. And why would they? 5 years in and I still don’t see an obvious path to contention.

There are essentially two paths to true contention- a star QB that can help overcome deficiencies or a complete team with a competent QB. Yes Luck screwed Ballard but since then he hasn’t chosen a path. They sure as hell haven’t sold out everything for a star QB. Whiich is fine - it’s a tough high risk gamble. But put a complete fucking team around the mediocre QB then. Ballard refuses to shore up weaknesses though, instead opting to fix everything in the draft. Until Ballard changes and commits to one of the two valid paths the team will stay stuck in purgatory- wasting the talent he has acquired. I wouldn’t sign up on a discount for that either.

Or maybe Ballard thinks the cap money goes with to his next job. We Irsay should have kept Tom Telesco

This lack of spending in free agency is getting ridiculous. Some guy (Field Yates) has pointed out that over the last 6 years the team that spent the most in free agency has increased its win total by at least 3 wins (goes from 3-7). Ballard is full of shit when he disses free agency, it is true you will 'overspend' but you also win more games. IF he is so stubborn that he refuses to spend on free agency this year because he won't 'overspend' on a player-even if it is the only way to fill a position of critical need-well to me he has a beautiful theory, but it is setting up the Colts for continued mediocrity as long as he is here and he needs to go.

https://horseshoeheroes.com/2022/03/...space-history/

Ballard has worn out his welcome with me. I was pretty much done with him & Reich when we lost to the Raiders & Jagoffs. Time to start over again.

Hands of stone. Deep draft of TEs, probably get one there.

Problem with TEs now is they are either blockers or big receivers. Seems very few that can do both and Colts like guys who can do both. We have Granson who should improve as a receiver. I bet they would like a do it all guy. A couple in the draft.

The bump in wins is only temporary, however.

Take a look at the win totals of those teams the following season:

2016: Giants +5, then -8 the next year
2017: Jaguars +7, then -5
2018: Bears +7, then -4
2019: Jets +3, then -5
2020: Dolphins +5, then -1 (with extra game from 17 game season)

Right.

Also, these teams were winning like 2-5 games the season before. So they're playing last-place schedules AND making high draft picks AND spending all their money.... And a lot of times they're getting to what? 6-7 wins? And then they're right back in the cellar again when they don't play the last place schedule

By the way, you can tell without going back and reading the archives here who was happy during the off-season when Grigson bought Gore, Johnson, Cole, etc.

I dont advocate for a spending spree, but I dont understand why he almost never jumps on one high impact player. Who is ballard's biggest/best FA signing? Houston? Rivers?

and btw, I dont count resigning your own FAs. I am talking adding to the team with a new player.

You mean to tell me a journalist only gave the facts that he wanted you to see? Who’d a thunk?

Well said. He spent some money on some mid-tier FAs in '17, but from '18 on has been super frugal. Rivers, Houston, Funches for 1 year $10M, Xavier Rhodes on his 1 year deal, and Fisher on his 1 year deal are pretty much it.

On top of not wanting to invest in FA he relies too much on his draft picks which haven't produced or stayed healthy somehow making big leaps or magically staying healthy (Banogu, Campbell, etc.).

I understand all of the angst so far, but two very important dominoes have to fall before the real action begins. One is Watson being traded. The second is Jimmy G. Once those are done, the rest will move much quicker for us. If Watson goes to a team with a real starter, that player would be traded or released. Jimmy G has to be moved tomorrow, if I understand that right. This is why I am being patient right now.

We actually signed someone!

https://coltswire.usatoday.com/2022/...-facyson-2022/

Probably just added depth at CB, but he's tall for a CB and has played for Bradley for 4 years.

The #Colts are re-signing LB Zaire Franklin on a three-year, $12 million contract with $4 million guaranteed, per source.

also we are getting comp picks 5 and 6th round

Probably not gonna see Jimmy G here. I was reading on NBC sports that they are wanting a 2nd. rounder plus. Didn't elaborate on the plus, but said a second by itself is not getting the job done. Lynch says they have him budgeted in for the season and will just go that way. I think as training camp gets closer they loosen their demands for him, but hopefully we have our house in order by then.

Ballard special - team friendly one year deal. Have to maintain long term flexibility.

Awesome job by dipshit Ballard. Boy, those special teams are going to be fantastic.

Sorry if I wasn’t clear. I wasn’t saying he would come here, just that those two dominoes have to fall first for a lot of teams, and then the real action will begin. There has been little action so far across the league, except for signing their own and a few others changing teams. No real studs that I have seen.

As far as QB is concerned, when you’re fishing for tu*ds in a toilet, you might as well let the other guys reel in the whoppers.

I still prefer Jimmy because of experience

But honestly any QB coming in here is set up for success with Taylor and this o line

I think that’s a little bit much.

Having said that, I REALLY hope Ballards got more of a plan than wait around until SF lowers their asking price for Jimmy G.

I actually like this signing. He seems like a decent corner. This is how Ballard builds a team. My issue with Ballard is different. I have agreed with him pretty much up to this point. But now is the time to spend on free agency. We don't have the resources to attack the number of holes this team has otherwise. If we don't plug a few holes with good players in these next few days it won't sit well with most of us.

I don’t have an issue with this signing or really any of the other team friendly one years deals. The problem is that’s the extent of the signings. This is just how Ballard expects to use free agency and that limits the quality of the player you can expect to sign. As you said - it’s not enough to fill the holes.

I’m hoping Watson doesn’t pick the Saints and we can get Armstead

I’d like to believe that’s what the Colts are waiting on

IMO landing Armstead is the most important play at this point

GB is trading Adams to McDickface for their 1st and 2nd rounders. Also, Allen Robinson to LAR :cool:.

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/sta...01053790195714

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...ell-beckham-jr

Hopefully you're right on Armstead, but most likely Ballard's actually waiting on all of the good FA to be signed so he can bargain shop for a player or 2 then hoard the rest of the ridiculous amount of cap space we have :mad:

Many of you, I can tell, are not finance guys at all.

Can't just go to Walmart and shop for players


I have wanted to spend shit tons of money on things and then run it by Smitty and he says NO

I am not a finance guy. I want what I want. But there is a line you cannot cross. That's why you have those guys.

Those guys are not fun to talk to about spending, but mostly they are right.


It's like a diet. Don't eat more than you can burn

Ballard is not cheap. He has a Smitty

Excellent post.