3 Crucial Players Colts Must Re-Sign After 2025

The Indianapolis Colts must ink these key starters to new contracts.

Oct 19, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Indianapolis Colts safety Nick Cross (20) celebrates an interception in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts have flown up to the top of the NFL standings in 2025, winning six of their first seven games.

Indianapolis' early success can be attributed to a consistently explosive offense that's bulldozed all opposing defenses. Colts quarterback Daniel Jones has been playing highly efficient football, and the running game led by Jonathan Taylor has been nothing short of exceptional.

Credit must be given across the board for the Colts' early success, but the front office must already be thinking about who to bring back for the 2026 season.

Indy has 27 players on expiring contracts, but a few names stick out more than others. Here are three players the Colts must re-sign after the 2025 season.

1. Wide Receiver Alec Pierce

Oct 19, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) makes a catch in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Although Pierce hasn't found the end zone yet in 2025, the Colts' offense has utilized him as a vertical threat to open up the field for Shane Steichen's playbook.

Pierce has hauled in 16 catches for 317 yards in five games played this season. Those numbers aren't as shiny as his 37-catch, 824-yard, 7-touchdown 2024 season, but they show that Pierce is needed as a vertical threat for this offense to succeed.

Pierce had his best game of the season against the Los Angeles Chargers last weekend, bringing in five catches for 98 yards. He finished as the team's leading receiver on the day, with Josh Downs and Ashton Dulin sidelined due to injury.

Alec Pierce, cardio king https://t.co/ljyK91tqBF

— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) October 22, 2025

The Colts signed Michael Pittman Jr. to a contract worth approximately $23 million annually, which puts into question how much a potential Pierce extension would be.

A comparable player to Pierce would be Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson, who is on a one-year deal worth just over $13 million. If Pierce stays on pace to finish with 800-900 yards, I think a deal in the $15 million annually range would not be out of the question.

What happens next for the Colts? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Colts news delivered to your inbox daily!

2. Quarterback Daniel Jones

Oct 19, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) calls a play during the second half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Heading into the season, the criticism Jones was facing felt insurmountable. Amazingly, Jones has silenced all the doubters in a mere seven games.

Jones is a textbook operator at the line of scrimmage, commanding the Colts to the most points per drive (3.46) by any offense this century.

Through seven weeks, the Colts are the most efficient offense by points per drive this century pic.twitter.com/4oyLckuShS

— Anthony Dabbundo (@AnthonyDabbundo) October 20, 2025

Jones has shown complete mastery of Shane Steichen's playbook. His ability to make the right reads every play to help move the chains is exactly what was missing under center in Indianapolis since Andrew Luck was in town.

Of course, a huge part of Jones' newfound success stems from the offensive line. The Colts' protectors are among the best in football, allowing a league-low six sacks through seven games.

Oct 5, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) celebrates a touchdown with guard Quenton Nelson (56) during the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

As for a new contract, Jones has played himself into big money. A similar recent success story is Sam Darnold, who signed a deal worth just over $33 million annually with the Seattle Seahawks this offseason after leading the Minnesota Vikings to a 14-3 record the year prior.

A realistic scenario for Jones is a deal worth around $35-40 million per year, assuming he wants to stay in Indianapolis.

3. Safety Nick Cross

Oct 19, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Indianapolis Colts safety Nick Cross (20) celebrates an interception in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

This isn't just recency bias because of his interception in last week's win against the Chargers. Cross has had an amazing season thus far, and he's really grown into the type of safety that Chris Ballard thought he could become when he was drafted.

Cross has become a weapon for Lou Anarumo's creative blitz schemes, which adds a whole new layer to the Colts' defense. He already has 1.5 sacks, one interception, 53 total tackles (four for loss), and three passes defended on the season.

Cross is in the last year of his rookie deal, similar to Pierce. He only became a full-time starter last season, but he's quickly made the most of every single snap.

Nick Cross gets the end zone INT for the @Colts!

INDvsLAC on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/MONPOBYPBn

— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2025

His breakout game in Week 2's win against the Denver Broncos earned him some much-deserved love, but now the front office needs to reward that high-level play.

The safety market is fairly cheap, with the highest average salary being $25 million annually. The Colts could offer Cross a deal worth anywhere between $10-15 million a year.

The Colts had safety Julian Blackmon signed to a one-year extension after his rookie deal, so it's possible the Colts keep Cross on a short-term basis to ensure that he's the right fit for the defense, especially since it's only his first year under Anarumo.