Colts Re-Sign Grover Stewart to Contract Extension
The Indianapolis Colts have had a busy day to begin the legal tampering period of the NFL free agency.
The Colts and general manager Chris Ballard have focused on keeping their own free agents to begin the frenzy. The day started with Zaire Franklin receiving a well-deserved contract extension. Then the Colts locked up Michael Pittman Jr. on a long-term deal that keeps him in Indy for the foreseeable future. The Colts also retained rotational pass rusher Tyquan Lewis.
And now, it is Grover Stewart's turn to get in on the action.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Colts and Stewart have agreed to a three-year, $39 million extension. The extension makes Stewart the 19th-highest-paid defensive tackle in the league in terms of average annual value and keeps Stewart in Indy through the 2026 season.
Stewart was drafted by the Colts in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Albany State. The 6-4, 314-pound defensive tackle spent the first couple of seasons of his career as a depth piece on the Colts' defensive line. But it became harder and harder to keep Stewart off the field, and he took over as a full-time starter in 2019.
In 11 games last season, Stewart tallied 41 tackles, five tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, and eight QB hits. Without the suspension Stewart received for a performance-enhancing substance, the run-stuffing defensive tackle would have been even more productive.
For his career, Stewart has totaled 280 tackles, 30 tackles for loss, 9.0 sacks, 35 QB hits, and seven passes defensed. Stewart has always thrived as a run defender, racking up 151 defensive stops in his career, according to Pro Football Focus. "Big Grove" has certainly lived up to his name, and the Colts' run defense is noticeably better when #90 is on the field.
The Colts made it a priority to keep Stewart in Indy. When asked about the big defensive tackle after the season, Ballard was not shy about his feelings for Stewart.
"I think you know my feelings on Grover," Ballard said in January. "In my first year here, he was one of our first draft picks. He’s done nothing but be a great Colt, a great teammate, everything you want. Yeah, Grover is a guy we’d like to have back.”
© Robert Scheer/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
While Stewart is already 30 years old, he has shown no sign of slowing down. Defensive tackle is also a position that has historically allowed for a longer shelf-life, meaning a player like Stewart, who has never had troubles with injuries, could play well into his mid-30s.
Stewart will rejoin DeForest Buckner to form one of the fiercest defensive tackle tandems in the league. Buckner and Stewart have been the anchor of the Colts' defensive line for the past few seasons. With new defensive line coach Charlie Partridge in the fold, expect an uptick in production out of a duo that already terrorizes opposing offensive fronts.
The Colts have ensured that their best in-house free agents would not be playing elsewhere in 2024 and beyond. That fact alone signals the Colts will be just as dangerous next season, with more talent expected to be retained and added for Shane Steichen to work with.
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