Why the Colts Should Extend Michael Pittman
The Indianapolis Colts have a lot of important decisions to make in what is shaping up to be one of the most pivotal off-seasons in franchise history.
Among those decisions is what to do with wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who is entering the final season of his current contract.
The receiver market has never been more robust, as last off-season we saw an unprecedented amount of trades and money given out to high-level receivers. A.J. Brown, Tyreek Hill, and Davante Adams all were traded and immediately rewarded with deals north of $25-29 million per year. We also saw guys such as Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, and DK Metcalf all get handed new contracts above $20M annually.
Pittman, while admittedly not in the same class as those guys should command money similar to or a tad bit more than someone like Christian Kirk, who received a four-year, $72M deal, which averages out to $18M per year.
Here’s why you pay a guy like Pittman. In three seasons, aside from his rookie injury, he has been available and the most consistent receiver for the Colts. He has found a way to be productive despite having three different starting quarterbacks at the beginning of each of his first three years.
Pittman has shown the ability to be a good yards-after-catch player with former quarterback Philip Rivers, a deep-threat ball winner with Carson Wentz, and a short-to-intermediate possession receiver with Matt Ryan. Pittman has been asked to adjust his role in the offense every season and has made the most out of those opportunities. Over the last two seasons, he has combined for 187 catches for 2,007 yards, and 10 touchdowns.
Pittman is 6’4", 223 pounds, and a prototypical X-receiver in the NFL today. He has enough juice to create separation and make contested catches. He’s also a willing blocker in the run game while still offering upside as a pass catcher.
With Shane Steichen now in the fold as head coach, he’s going to create opportunities for Pittman to have a chance to win those one-on-one situations, similar to what Pittaman did in 2021. He is also going to be crucial in the development of a rookie quarterback. Pittman is the perfect player to have as your veteran safety blanket or someone the quarterback trusts to consistently go to in high-leverage situations.
I won’t sit here and act like Pittman is a perfect player. He has had drops in a couple of key moments, but it’s not nearly enough of a problem to keep him from getting extended. The Colts can’t afford to let Pittman walk and take on the task of replacing his production.
His extension should come in around three years, $61M, giving him slightly over $20M a year and allowing him to hit free agency again at 29 years old.
Pittman is not a top-10 wide receiver in the league but I do believe the arrow is pointing up and can be a legit number-one receiver with a consistent quarterback.
