As the Colts track Richardson’s progress in the coming weeks, they’ll also begin the process of building their roster around both their quarterback’s skillset and contract. Armed with the No. 15 overall pick, a quarterback on an inexpensive rookie contract and a healthy amount of cap space – especially after the NFL last week announced a $255.4 million 2024 salary cap, higher than expected – the Colts have resources at their disposal.
But that does not necessarily mean the Colts are eyeing an over-the-top spending spree in a few weeks.
“Free agency, everybody gets excited for that week and stamps a future Super Bowl winner off of that,” Ballard said. “But what you’re seeing is, alright, you got the A-level players, well what happens with them, they get tagged. So now you got the next level ones that you end up paying A money. If there’s one on the market that we think fits us — and look, it takes two sides here. There’s times you’ll make an offer, a big offer, to a player and you just don’t get him and he goes somewhere else. That’s part of it. We’ll be as aggressive as we need to be when we think we need to be.”
Giving Richardson the best opportunity to succeed begins with protecting him up front, Ballard said. The Colts’ offensive line in 2023 was tagged with allowing the third-fewest sacks (15) and sixth-lowest pressure rate (25 percent) in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, with left guard Quenton Nelson and center Ryan Kelly both earning Pro Bowl nods.
Every Colts offensive lineman who started a game in 2023 – starters Nelson, Kelly, Bernhard Raimann, Will Fries and Braden Smith, as well as reserves Blake Freeland and Wesley French – is under contract in 2024.
From there, Ballard said the Colts will look to surround Richardson with both explosive players, and players who can accentuate the quarterback’s own explosiveness.
“Even with a short span he was playing, he’s explosive…
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