The Xavier Rhodes Deal is Perfect for the Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are retaining arguably their most important free agent in cornerback Xavier Rhodes, and the deal they struck couldn't be more perfect for them.
The contract is for one year and $6.5 million, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
After a down couple of years with the Minnesota Vikings which resulted in the three-time Pro Bowl and one-time All-Pro's release, Rhodes signed with the Colts in 2020 and rehabilitated his career.
He started all 16 games and totaled 42 tackles, 2 interceptions, 12 pass breakups, and 1 touchdown.
According to Pro Football Focus, Rhodes' 76.3 overall grade was fifth among all NFL corners who played at least 80% of their defense's snaps, 10th among those who played 50%, and 12th among those who played 20%.
Rhodes' opponent completion percentage of 50.7% tied for fourth among corners, and his 79.2 opponent passer rating was 22nd.
So, no matter how you slice it, he was really good in 2020.
With all that said, the $6.5 million (technically, per year) deal is a huge bargain because Rhodes is honestly worth more. That contract APY (average per year) ranks 29th among NFL corners, according to Spotrac.com.
Rhodes also isn't even the highest-paid corner on his team as Kenny Moore II has an $8.3M APY.
The chances that the Colts and Rhodes part ways after 2021 seem somewhat likely, as he'll be 32 when the 2022 season starts.
By then, the Colts should know if they want to proceed with fellow Colts cornerbacks Rock Ya-Sin and Marvell Tell. They'll no longer be in "wait and see" mode.
Ya-Sin will have likely been starting for three years by that point, and Tell would be three years removed from his transition from safety to corner (two of which he played).
With Rhodes' cheap, new deal, the Colts know they have two above-average cornerbacks in Rhodes and Moore for another season, and they get to evaluate Ya-Sin and Tell for another season in the meantime.
