Source: Justin Casterline / Getty
Pittman is a curious case because his value to the Colts (and Anthony Richardson) is far greater than teams who already have several established weapons. I remember hearing an interview on JMV’s show right after the season with the great Rich Venturi and he made the point that Pittman is a “context player”. What he meant was you need to put his game in “context” or you’ll overpay.
Here are some numbers…Pittman was 5th this past season in catches (109) but just 85th in the league in yards per catch. Venturi mentioned his numbers are similar to the top slot WR or elite TE, not true number 1 WR stats. If you look at yards, 20+ yard receptions, and yards per reception that mostly checks out. But the reality is the Colts must pay and lock Pittman up.
Spotrac does a cool thing where they show you a player’s market value. See below…
Source: Spotrac / https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/indianapolis-colts/michael-pittman-jr-47629/market-value/
So, this is the predicament. Pittman might be worth closer to 17-20 mil but if you’re the Colts do you really a) want to use the franchise tag or 2) let one of YOUR guys walk over a few million dollars when you already lack weapons for your young QB.
Former NFL front office executive and current NFL Network analyst Marc Ross was on The Wake Up Call with me and Kevin Bowen on Thursday and had this to say about the Pittman contract situation…
Personally, I find this to be an easy decision. You pay Pittman between 21-23 million per year, especially given his game isn’t predicated on speed. Plus, by the end of any 3-4 year deal he’ll still be shy of 30 or just entering his 30’s.
Either way, when the new league season begins in March this will be a hot topic around the NFL with at least one former front office exec saying you need to sign Michael Pittman Jr…and I agree.
