With the Colts firing Matt Ryan and trading Stephon Gilmour, is Indianapolis shaping up to take on Lamar Jackson?
The Indianapolis Colts are in great shape after their move on Tuesday. As expected, the team will release veteran quarterback Matt Ryan. Furthermore, they traded linebacker Stephon Gilmour to the Dallas Cowboys for only a fifth-round compensatory pick.
As a result of these moves, the ramifications are that the Colts have now freed up more than $27 million in salary cap space. That’s when things start to get interesting.
The Colts were projected to be the quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft because they have the #4 overall pick. However, the team is now in a much less advantageous position after the Bears were traded to #9 with the Panthers moving to #1. unexpected.
So how does that relate to cover space? Well, there just so happens to be a quarterback named Lamar Jackson who might be available if the Colts are willing to open the checkbook.
NFL rumours: Do the Colts’ recent moves indicate a move by Lamar Jackson?
Having Jackson hit the non-exclusive franchise tag means he can negotiate with other NFL teams. The Ravens will have the opportunity to match any contract they agree to, but if they don’t, they get two first-round picks from the team that will eventually sign the former NFL MVP.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard is no longer in a position where he can try to fix the quarterback position together the way the front office has tried since Andrew Luck’s retirement. He’s on a bit of a hot seat, he needs to get the guy over. And there’s a 26-year-old former MVP.
This is certainly a reasonable reason as to why Indianapolis is liquidating money from the cap. This is the team that needs a franchise quarterback and Jackson can be just that. Moreover, it would be a good situation to give up big money and two first-round picks to make such a deal.
Now, does that mean this is certain? of course not. This can only be maximum saving measures taken from a forward thinking perspective. However, it’s also possible that the Colts are posing for Lamar Jackson, and we’ll have to wait and see if that’s actually the case.
