Hilton Signing 'Worst' of the Offseason For Colts, NFL Analyst Says
You can count on roughly one hand the offseason signings Indianapolis Colts General Manager Chris Ballard has made involving players from outside the organization.
Ballard has done a great job retaining guys like T.Y Hilton, Xavier Rhodes, Al-Quadin Muhammad and Joey Hunt in free agency, while adding outsiders like Chris Reed, Sam Tevi, Julie'n Davenport, and Sean Davis for depth.
However, one NFL analyst was down on the Hilton re-signing, stating it was the Colts' worst signing of the offseason.
The Indianapolis Colts may have made a big free-agency decision with their hearts rather than their heads.
T.Y. Hilton has been a fixture in Indy since he came into the league as a third-round draft pick back in 2012. He finally hit free agency for the first time in his career but did so at a tough time given the nature of the receiver market and the declining salary cap.
While the Colts didn't have to back up the Brink's truck to pay Hilton, they did allocate $8 million to keep him around for at least one more season. It's a steep cost for a wideout who is 31 years old and has seen his production tail off after eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark in five of six seasons between 2013 and 2018.
This deal feels like a reward for the contributions Hilton has made to the franchise since he's behind only legends Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison for career receiving yards with the Colts. After all, he caught just 56 passes for 762 yards and five touchdowns last year.
The Colts will be starting another new quarterback this coming campaign because of Philip Rivers' retirement, and having Hilton certainly won't hurt the transition. But coughing up that much money—the same amount JuJu Smith-Schuster received to stay with the Pittsburgh Steelers—for an aging vet isn't the best financial decision.
There's a lot to unpack here from Bleacher Report's Alex Kay.
For starters, we need to stop acting like the Colts broke the bank here with Hilton. Eight million for a receiver the caliber of Hilton — regardless of any level of decline in his play — is an absolute bargain.
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Pop on the tape and you'll still see a productive, game-changing receiver in Hilton, especially in the red zone.
His production was down early in the year last year due to what defenses were doing to him, double covering him often, which caused Frank Reich and the Colts to use him as a decoy and run him deep, opening things up underneath for Phillip Rivers to take advantage of.
The fact that they're starting the 2021 season with a new quarterback should have played a major role in the Colts retaining Hilton, considering his familiarity in the system, as well as the desire of Carson Wentz to throw balls to him.
Choosing Hilton as the worst signing of the offseason feels a bit lazy from Kay. Choosing Davenport or Tevi would have made more sense, considering the gaping hole at left tackle the Colts still have.
Have thoughts on the Hilton signing? Drop a line in the comments section below!
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