Colts' Kwity Paye May Draw More Interest in Free Agency Than Expected

Kwity Paye is unlikely to stay with the Indianapolis Colts, but he may command more attention than previously thought.

Dec 22, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts defensive end Kwity Paye (51) takes the field ahead of a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christine Tannous-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images | Christine Tannous-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

NFL free agency begins on March 11th at 4 pm Eastern Standard Time, which is also when the league's new year begins.

For the Indianapolis Colts, it's been all about the team's standing with their two biggest free agents: quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce.

However, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano, veteran edge rusher Kwity Paye could be a sleeper free agent defensive end.

"Colts pass rusher Kwity Paye: He could be the fourth rusher on the market behind Trey Hendrickson, Jaelan Phillips and Odafe Oweh. He has 30.5 sacks over 74 starts."

Dec 22, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts defensive end Kwity Paye (51) tackles San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) during the fourth quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Grace Hollars-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images | Grace Hollars-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Paye hasn't been bad for the Colts, but he hasn't lived up to his first-round tag in the slightest. Paye was drafted with the 21st-overall selection in the 2021 NFL draft.

Indianapolis expected Paye to evolve into a true solution at the edge rusher position, with the hope that he'd continue developing in the right direction.

Paye started his NFL career similarly to teammate Laiatu Latu, logging 4.0 sacks, 32 tackles, three tackles for loss, and 10 quarterback hits.

Paye improved in year two and was even better in 2023 and 2024, accumulating 16.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, and 21 QB hits over those two seasons.

The former Michigan Wolverine even led Indianapolis in sacks during the 2024 season with 8.0, indicating that Paye was evolving into a serious defensive end with a propensity to stuff the run.

However, 2025 was a big letdown for Paye. He took steps backward in nearly every way despite playing all 17 games.

Is Kwity Paye’s tenure in Indianapolis over?

🔵 209 total tackles in five seasons
🔵 30.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles
🔵 Spotrac projection: $53.3M / 3 years pic.twitter.com/okgfsWzHGR

— SleeperColts (@SleeperColts) February 1, 2026

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Paye fell to just 4.0 sacks again while logging just six tackles for loss and tied his career-low for quarterback hits with nine.

The calling card for Paye during his time with the Colts has been his ability to play good run defense, but even that wasn't up to par last year.

Per Pro Football Focus, Paye posted a run defense grade of 65.8, which is the lowest he's had since his rookie year (55.4). In short, Paye is expendable for Indianapolis.

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Kwity Paye (51) and safety Nick Cross (20), back, combine to tackle Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) during the third quarter of an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Colts 36-19. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Colts' defensive end room is barren if you remove free agents Paye, Samson Ebukam, and Tyquan Lewis. Currently, only Latu and JT Tuimoloau are under contract.

The way the depth chart is for the Colts at defensive end, one might think that Paye needs to be re-signed so that Indianapolis isn't scrambling for more talent.

However, Paye might be in line to earn a bigger payday than Indianapolis is willing to pony up. Per Spotrac, Paye's market value is around a three-year, $53,620,554 deal. The Colts simply aren't paying Paye this type of coin.

Instead, they'll likely allow him, as well as Ebukam and Lewis, to explore free agency and find new destinations. The Colts should look to the NFL draft to bring in fresh names.

As for free agency, either Indianapolis needs to go all-in on a player like Trey Hendrickson, or entrust Latu and Tuimoloau with becoming the starters while supplying the rest of the room with cheaper, reliable free agents.

It would be quite surprising if general manager Chris Ballard re-signs Paye for the 2026 season and beyond for the price he might command.

Given how awful Indy's defensive ends were outside of Latu in 2025, it's smarter and more cost-effective to avoid bringing Paye back to the Circle City after five seasons with the squad.