Source: Michael Hickey / Getty
As the Indianapolis Colts head into the offseason, one of their biggest priorities figures to be resigning receiver Michael Pittman Jr to a contract extension.
Pittman proved himself to be a reliable weapon in 2023 for Anthony Richardson to lean on when the young quarterback returns to the starting lineup next season, leading the Colts with 109 receptions for 1,152 yards and 4 touchdowns. His value was no more apparent than when he missed the Colts Week 16 loss to the Falcons; the offense struggled mightily as Indy fell 29-10.
Pittman has expressed interest in exploring his options, though a return to Indianapolis does seem most likely. While the Colts have the money to sign him long-term, could they use a tool at their disposal that they haven’t used since 2013; the franchise tag?
During Tuesday’s edition of The Ride With JMV, Brad Spielberger of PFF gave his thoughts on the possibility of the Colts tagging Pittman.
“I think they will find a way to get it done. It might need a tag; it’s interesting they took things down to the wire even with a guy like Quenton Nelson, and I know Nelson maybe [was] coming off an injured year in that contract year, but the guy was a 3-time first-team All-Pro in his first three seasons, about as good of a start to a career as a player can possibly have, and he was kind of annoyed. He was kind of frustrated it took as long as it did to get that done, so clearly Indy drives a hard bargain. They want to protect themselves and take care of themselves, so for all of those reasons I do think you’ll probably see a franchise tag first, but I think it will be only a place holder, because I don’t think they’re going to let it go into the year on the tag, I think they will get a deal done once they place that tag.”
Listen to JMV’s full conversation with Brad Spielberger and more down below, and tune into The Ride With JMV weekdays from 3-6pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan!
