Ballard On Hilton: 'We'll Continue to Have Discussions'

The NFL's free-agent window opened well over a month ago, but the Indianapolis Colts are still working on one player in particular that hasn't yet decided where he will play in 2022.

Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, who has been the linchpin in the team's passing game for a decade, is taking his time and mulling his options in free agency for a second consecutive season. Will he return to the place he's called home since 2012, or will he take an opportunity elsewhere?

“We’ll still have some talks with T.Y.," Colts general manager Chris Ballard told reporters this week. "I think you all know my feelings towards T.Y. Hilton. I think he can still play. I think he can still play productive football.”

As Ballard mentioned, he spoke about Hilton during the Scouting Combine in February.

"T.Y. can still play," Ballard stated. "Unfortunately he got hurt for half the (2021) season, but T.Y. can still play. One, because he’s about as smart as any player I’ve ever been around. I mean he just understands how to play the game even though his skillset might not quite be the same that it was three or four years ago, his instincts and his level of competence in terms of understanding what’s happening, he knows how to play."

The Colts have a young receiver corps featuring Michael Pittman Jr., Parris Campbell, Ashton Dulin, Dezmon Patmon, and Mike Strachan, but with Hilton remaining available on the market and Zach Pascal relocating to the Philadelphia Eagles, but the Colts are missing a proven player behind Pittman.

The other six receivers behind Pittman accounted for a total of just 28 receptions for 387 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2021.

So, what's the hold-up on getting a deal done between the Colts and Hilton?

"Would I love to finish my career there (Indianapolis)? Absolutely," Hilton told NFL Network back in March. "But I've also gotta look at other teams 'cause I'm a free agent so it's only right I do my due diligence and see what's out there and see what teams are looking for."

Without going into detail, Ballard alluded to some things the two sides may either be working through or waiting on.

“I think it’s a lot of – we just got to sit down – we’ve had some back and forth," Ballard said. "I texted back and forth with him this week as a matter of fact, and we’ll continue to have some discussions. I won’t get in-depth with it.”

Entering his 11th season, Hilton's last few years have been marked by injury. He hasn't played a full slate of games since 2017 and has missed a combined 16 games since then. However, when he's on the field, he's still effective. There wasn't a lot of chemistry there between him and former starting quarterback Carson Wentz in 2021, but new quarterback Matt Ryan is a far more adaptable player.

In 10 games with Wentz, Hilton had just 23 catches for 331 yards (14.4 avg.) and 3 touchdowns.

Regardless of what the last few years have held, the Colts still have belief in what Hilton can contribute.

Since being drafted by the Colts in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft, Hilton has been a star and the team's biggest constant on offense. In 143 games (121 starts), he has 631 receptions for 9,691 yards (15.4 avg.) and 53 touchdowns.

Just 309 yards short of 10,000 for his career, Hilton could become just the third player in franchise history to reach that mark, joining Marvin Harrison (14,580) and Reggie Wayne (14,345).

Another big incentive for Hilton to return to the Colts would be Wayne, who recently became the team's new wide receivers coach and was Hilton's mentor when he entered the league.

With the 2022 NFL Draft being so close, it makes sense for the Colts to see how that plays out before making a firm commitment to Hilton.

“We’ll see. Yeah, we’ll see,” Ballard agreed.

Do you want the Colts to re-sign Hilton? Drop your thoughts below in the comment section!

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