Robert

Mathis

He’s a big part of their pass rush. The Colts should have an update on Wednesday.

Terms aren’t available and the deal might not be signed for another week. Mathis totaled 22 sacks the last two seasons as a reserve, but will start this season. With Dwight Freeney on the other side, Mathis should see plenty of single coverage.

Mathis gets $12 million guaranteed, including an $8.1 million signing bonus and a $3.9 million roster bonus due next March. The NFL’s lightest starting defensive end is scheduled to receive $18.5 million over the first three years of the contract. He’ll officially sign off on the deal early next week.

No other terms are available yet. With Mathis done, the Colts can focus on getting Dwight Freeney signed long-term. This should also free up the franchise tag to use on Freeney.

The deal, which was agreed to last week, includes roster bonuses of $2 million each in 2008 and 2009 and of $1 million apiece in 2010 and 2011. The Colts hope to have Mathis and Dwight Freeney as bookends for the next 3-4 seasons at least.

Indianapolis is planning on making Mathis the lightest starting defensive end in the league this year. It will be challenging to get Mathis and Dwight Freeney both signed long-term. Freeney wants to be the highest paid defensive player in the league.

Already a valuable IDP commodity as a pass-rush specialist, playing every down will only help Mathis’ value. Of course, teams may pound the ball at Mathis, who is listed at 245 pounds.

Talks between Mathis and the Colts are reportedly heating up, and there have been indications that Indy will wield the franchise tag if necessary. If Mathis does make it to the market, the Titans and perhaps the Falcons appear to be his primary suitors.

Re-signing Mathis and Pierre Garcon were the Colts’ priorities entering free agency. After Garcon passed up a more-than-fair five-year, $35 million contract offer, the focus has shifted to Mathis. Though Mathis is 31 and not necessarily an ideal investment for a rebuilding team, he’s been a durable player and probably has two quality seasons left. Mathis is also athletic enough to transition into new coach Chuck Pagano’s 3-4 scheme.

Colts owner Jim Irsay is intent on keeping Mathis, so the Titans may not get a shot at the pass rusher. Nelson, a priority for the Bengals and also expected to draw interest from Miami, would be a fallback option to Michael Griffin. Nakamura is valued for his special teams prowess. The Tennessean also suggests CB Brandon Carr as a possibility after the Chiefs’ signing of Stanford Routt.