
The Colts have salary cap space for days, and with several roster deficiencies and a lack of a first round pick, they’ll need to spend at least some of it.
After trading starting quarterback Carson Wentz, the Indianapolis Colts now have the league’s leading total available salary cap space at a projected $69.3M, which is roughly $18M more than the next closest team, the Seattle Seahawks.
Right now, that gives the Colts the salary cap flexibility to do pretty much anything their hearts realistically desire, and they could be a major player on anyone—if they so choose (although to be fair, free agents will still have to want to play in Indianapolis too).
One thing that is important to note is that if the Colts are indeed seriously pursuing San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo via trade, his 2022 salary is pretty similar to Wentz’s ($28M), so they’d essentially be looking at a minimal change:
For the record, Jimmy G’s cap number is just a hair under $27 million. So, theoretically, if the Colts made that deal, it would basically be a 1:1 situation after clearing Wentz’s contract. Just a hypothetical, to be clear.
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) March 9, 2022
While filling starting quarterback, as well as wide receiver, edge rush, left tackle, tight end, and secondary depth will be easier said than done, the Colts do have the resources to continue to improve this starting roster and get the franchise back into the playoffs again.