A high percentage of the football world spent Wednesday waiting for word on whether the Broncos and Cowboys would sign Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant to multi-year contracts and the group of people focused on the contracts of the wide receivers included T.Y. Hilton.
The Colts wideout is heading into the final year of his rookie contract and he seemed to like how things worked out on Wednesday. Both Bryant and Thomas signed five-year, $70 million deals, which Hilton responded to on Twitter.
“All this BREAKING NEWS,” Hilton wrote. “Does this mean the bar is set??”
Colts owner Jim Irsay said earlier in the offseason that the team wanted to get a deal done with Hilton “sooner than later,” but Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star reports that all signs indicate Hilton will play out this year for $1.542 million before becoming eligible for free agency.
Hilton has 164 catches and 2,428 receiving yards over the last two seasons and another year like that would set him up for a lucrative contract next year, even if it doesn’t reach the heights of the deals signed by Bryant and Thomas. It could lead the Colts to contemplate using the franchise tag to ensure that another team isn’t giving him that big deal, although the decision to draft Phillip Dorsett in the first round this year will give them options should Dorsett show he’s ready for a major role on offense right off the bat.
