Colts' Edge Rusher Named 'Intriguing' Franchise Tag Option

The Indianapolis Colts have a long list of free agents hitting the open market this offseason. Considering the lack of playoff appearances, nobody's spot is safe on the roster.

After taking care of many contract extensions last offseason, the Colts have a bit of freedom to spend their money where they want. Indy may opt to use their franchise tag to retain one of their impending free agents, a move that could cost a pretty penny.

The major free agents would be safety Julian Blackmon, edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo, center Ryan Kelly, and linebacker E.J. Speed. If the Colts want to keep any of them on a franchise tag, the price would soar to around $20 million for one year.

Stephen Holder with ESPN thinks that Indy's "most intriguing free agent" is Odeyingo, a player who led the team in pressures this season.

Dayo Odeyingbo may be special pic.twitter.com/G6M5RmZ979
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) December 18, 2023

"Their most intriguing free agent is defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo, who led the team with 33 pressures and has a combined 16 sacks in the past three seasons," wrote Holder. "But it's highly unlikely a team that's already heavily invested in its defensive line would commit more than $20 million to Odeyingbo for 2025."

Odeyingbo tallied just three sacks in the 2024 season, a low number that was partially due to a deep rotation on the defensive line. After drafting Laiatu Latu out of UCLA last spring, the Colts may not choose to extend Odeyingbo's stay in Indy.

#Colts DL Dayo Odeyingbo (54) had himself a day versus the Steelers.

Odeyingbo finished with 1.5 sacks & 7 pressures on 32 rushes, culminating in a team-high 21.2% pressure rate -- 2nd highest rate in NFL (30+ rushes). He posted a 39% (!!!) pass rush win rate per ESPN Analytics. pic.twitter.com/m3shqNBTHU
— Noah Compton (@nerlens_) September 30, 2024

A franchise tag for a defensive end this year will cost teams nearly $25 million. Quenton Nelson, the highest-paid player on the Colts, is the only player making that kind of money on the roster. It's hard to imagine general manager Chris Ballard handing Odeyingbo a $25 million contract for a one-year stay.

The cost of a franchise tag rises annually. Looking at the free agents, it's hard to see any of them deserving such a substantial pay raise for a temporary stay.

The NFL franchise tag window officially opened on February 18th but closes on March 4th. The Colts have two weeks to decide if they want to use the franchise tag before their players hit the open market.

Recommended Articles

Want more Colts content? Check out the latest episode of the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast!

Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Facebook and X, and subscribe on YouTube for multiple Colts live-stream podcasts per week.