Colts Working To Keep Michael Pittman Jr.
INDIANAPOLIS – The goal is to have Michael Pittman Jr. remain a Colt.
How that exactly looks though remains to be seen.
Chris Ballard has long praised what Pittman Jr. brings to the Colts, and that was backed up in 2023 by the wide receiver himself.
In a year the Colts really couldn’t rely on any other consistent skill guys, Pittman Jr. gave the Colts reliability.
As February arrives, the big date to watch comes on Tuesday the 20th, as that is the first day the Colts can apply the franchise tag to Pittman Jr.
That goes back to the “how” this situation plays out, as the Colts clearly have a desire to retain their top wideout.
From February 20th to March 5th, the Colts will have a two-week window to apply the tag to Pittman Jr., before free agency begins on March 13th.
Tagging Pittman Jr. would give him a one-year contract in the expected range of $21 million. The Colts would then have several months to try and forge out a long-term deal with Pittman Jr. If the two sides would be unable to reach such a deal, it’s anyone’s guess as to if we could see another awkward training camp situation, a la Jonathan Taylor this past year.
While some fans might be turned off by hearing those comments from Pittman Jr, the Colts are still in the first power of control thanks to the franchise tag.
Satisfying the long-term question though remains the biggest hurdle, as major wide receiver money continues to skyrocket.
But there’s no denying that both parties liked how an attention-filled contract year went.
The Steichen element is a key, and new, ingredient in all of this.
Certainly, the head coach, the play caller and the biggest offensive voice in the Colts building is going to have some strong say in how the Colts view Pittman Jr. moving forward.
The words are adding up to the Colts wanting Pittman Jr. back.
And now we are about to see the actions play out.
