Heading into free agency, the Colts had the most cap space in the NFL, but General Manager Chris Ballard said he wouldn’t spend the money just because he had it. And he meant it.
After a flurry of moves across the NFL this week, the Colts still have by far the most cap space in the NFL. Calculating each team’s precise cap number can be a little tricky, but estimates are that the Colts currently have about $75 million to $77 million in cap space, the most in the league by more than $20 million.
Ballard made clear from the outset that he’s looking to build a team, and not a collection of stars, and that’s why he’s not spending a lot of money out of the gates in free agency.
“We have a very strict criterion of what we want to bring in,” Ballard said. “We want players that want to get better, want to be great, want to be a part of the team, that are willing to sacrifice sometimes their individual stats for the betterment of winning and being a good teammate. If they fit into that criterion, absolutely they’ll fit in.”
Aside from signing wide receiver Devin Funchess, the Colts have prioritized extending their own players, including cornerback Pierre Desir and special teamer Chris Milton. Ballard is likely looking at spending some more money to extend some of the Colts’ players who become free agents after the 2019 season, including left tackle Anthony Costanzo, tight end Eric Ebron and linebacker Jabaal Sheard. The Colts showed last season that they have the nucleus of a good team, and they don’t think they need any big changes.
