Safety Nick Cross is a free agent after the 2025 season; what can we expect his next contract to look like?
Nick Cross has established himself as a solid starter on the Colts defense over the past few seasons and at 23 years old (24 in September), he will be relatively young entering his 2nd contract. He will enter the first year of his 2nd contract at 25 years old, which is very favourable for all parties.
Comparable Contracts/Players
Grant Delpit — 3 years, $36M with $23.5M guaranteed, signed in 2024 at 25 years old
Amani Hooker — 3 years, $30M with $19.5M guaranteed, signed in 2023 at 25 years old
Jalen Thompson — 3 years, $36M with $24.5M guaranteed, signed in 2023 at 25 years old
Talanoa Hufanga — 3 years, 39M with $20M guaranteed, signed in 2025 at 25 years old
If we adjust for inflation (using the first year of the contract as the starting year and not the date of the signing) and for a 3-year deal, the average of the contract would look like:
3 years, $39.3M with $24.5M guaranteed
Projected Extension
The salary cap is expected to have a couple of big jumps in the next few years, which means you can expect Nick Cross to be on the higher end of the comps. I also believe there’s a strong chance that the Colts will match his contract with that of Cam Bynum’s, who signed with the Colts for 15M per year. An exact matching of Bynum’s contract would put him above the comparable players and in the same league as Bynum, Holland and Jessie Bates.
3 years, 45M with $26M guaranteed
Is it worth it?
It is probably worth it, but not a killer if the Colts decide not to re-sign him.
The Colts aren’t in any rush to sign him and should at least wait a couple of months into the season before looking into extending him. The reason behind that is to see how Cross plays in the new defense and next to Cam Bynum. If he struggles to adjust or is severely outperformed by Bynum, then the Colts could look to move on from him. If he plays like he has over the past couple of seasons, then it’s probably worth keeping him around and looking to extend him.
The deal would put him in the Tier 3 range, which is very good starter and just below Pro Bowl/borderline All Pro level, which makes sense for him. It’s also a manageable price and keeps the Colts’ backend strong for years to come, but that’s assuming he plays well in 2025.