T.Y. Hilton and the Indianapolis Colts are in ongoing contract talks, and it is very obvious that both sides want to get something done in the near future. There are quite a few reports that the two sides are making progress on a deal, but it will all come down to what Hilton’s demands are. Indianapolis simply can’t afford to give him huge money, and he should strongly consider following Randall Cobb’s example from free agency and taking a bit less money to re-sign.
Agent Drew Rosenhaus, who is at camp today, on getting an extension done for receiver TY Hilton by Labor Day: “That’s a good time frame”
— Mike Wells (@MikeWellsNFL) August 4, 2015
Cobb had plenty of options elsewhere from different teams, but knew that the Green Bay Packers were his best fit.
Indianapolis is becoming one of the best teams in the NFL, and they are a good bet to represent the AFC in Super Bowl 50 this season. Hilton will not find another team that can offer him the type of contending status that the Colts have, and even fewer teams can offer him the chance to play alongside of an elite quarterback.
During the 2014 season with the Colts, Hilton ended up catching 82 passes for 1,345 yards and seven touchdowns. He still has plenty of room to grow over the next couple seasons, and at 25 years old can grow alongside of Luck. Being willing to take a bit less money to keep the Colts’ financial options open would be a very mature move for Hilton, and it would help the Colts stay contenders even longer.
Immediately following the Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas extensions earlier this offseason, Hilton seemed to want that type of money. While the Colts want to keep Hilton in town, they simply should not meet those demands. Ryan Grigson has been very aggressive with the franchise’s money this offseason, but they’ll have to begin re-signing players at some point in the future.
Needless to say, this situation is making for a very intriguing one over the next week or two. It sounds like the two sides want to get something done within the next month at the latest, which would be ideal for both parties. Hilton doesn’t want to worry about extension discussions throughout the season, and the Colts don’t want to allow him to hit free agency next offseason.
At this point in time, there doesn’t appear to be much of a chance that Hilton ends up leaving the Colts. These talks during training camp are an obvious sign that the Colts want to do everything they can to get him locked up.
It will be very interesting to see what the final deal ends up being when the two sides come to an agreement. Hilton is going to receive a very nice payday, but it might not be as much as the two wide receivers got earlier this offseason. If he is open to helping the Colts keep some money open, then these talks will get done much easier and much quicker.
