Colts on the Rise in ESPN's Week 3 NFL Power Rankings
The Indianapolis Colts got a convincing win on Sunday over the Houston Texans. The Texans aren't the 1972 Miami Dolphins, or even the 2023 Dolphins, but a win is a win, and they could expect to move up in the latest round of NFL Power Rankings.
The Week 3 NFL Power Rankings from ESPN saw the Colts up three spots from No. 30 to No. 27.
ESPN picks a theme every week beyond their rankings. This week they chose a player whose contract situation should be watched... a subject Colts fans are all too familiar with.
Colts beat writer for ESPN Stephen Holder chose Michael Pittman Jr. who is a free agent after this season.
"Running back Jonathan Taylor's contract situation has dominated the headlines, but Pittman is also at the end of his rookie contract and is doing his best to drive up his value as a free agent," wrote Holder.
"Pittman has 16 receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown through two games. He has been highly productive, averaging 93.5 receptions over the past two seasons, and it's possible he'll wind up as one of the higher-paid receivers in the NFL given his age (25) and consistency.
"The Colts have the second-lowest wide receiver payroll in the NFL by average salary. Could that finally be changing?"
The market for Pittman will be considerably stronger than it has shown for Taylor. The Colts have the franchise-tag option for Pittman, but a tag would run the team roughly $27.5 million in 2024.
He currently as a cap hit of just under $4 million according to Spotrac.
Frankly, players don't want to play on the franchise tag. If they're important enough for the tag, they know their value on the open market is worth at least double in guaranteed money.
The Colts are on the rise, and Michael Pittman should be a long-term building block in Indianapolis.
