The Indianapolis Colts didn’t feel the need to change much ahead of the 2024 season. The team finished one win away from a playoff berth, so general manager Chris Ballard’s philosophy was to run it back with a squad he hoped was on the brink of a breakthrough.
The Colts retained a league-high 81.7 percent of their players, per OverTheCap, with the team’s biggest offseason addition essentially being a healthy Anthony Richardson. The plan was for the veterans and top earners to step up around their young quarterback, and while Richardson’s play has certainly been erratic, he hasn’t received the type of support from those players that Ballard likely expected. That’s not to say they’ve all played poorly — or that they’re the only ones to blame for the Colts’ 6-8 record — but as you’re about to see, too many of the Colts’ highest-paid players have failed either in critical areas or at critical times.
Here’s where the Colts’ top 10 highest-paid players, by average annual salary, have let the Colts down this season.
All contract figures at ranks courtesy of Spotrac. The number in parenthesis is where the player ranks among all players at his position.
No. 1: WR Michael Pittman Jr.: $23.3 million (No. 15)
Pittman lost a brutal fumble in last week’s loss at Denver that encapsulates his underwhelming 2024 campaign. The 27-year-old has totaled 52 catches for 608 yards for two TDs in 13 games, which is his least productive season since his rookie year. After signing him to a three-year, $70 million contract this past offseason, this was not the kind of year the Colts were hoping for. One could argue Pittman is compromised by a back injury that threatened to send him to injured reserve, though Pittman has only missed one game as he continues to play through it. Pittman said he won’t use the injury as an excuse for his lackluster play, so by his own standard, it won’t be used as an excuse here either.
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No. 2: DT DeForest Buckner: $23 million (No. 8)
The biggest knock on Buckner this year is that he finally suffered an injury that forced him to go on injured reserve. Before sustaining a right high ankle sprain in Week 2 at Green Bay, Buckner had only missed one game in his career due to injury while playing through a litany of ailments. Since returning to the lineup in Week 8, however, Buckner has been his typically disruptive self with 25 QB pressures, which is the 10th most in the NFL among defensive linemen who primarily play on the interior, per TruMedia. Among that same group, he’s tied for second in sacks (five) during that span.
No. 3: LG Quenton Nelson: $20 million (No. 3)
Nelson has been flagged for a career-high 11 penalties this season, which is the first time in his career that he’s had double-digit penalties. Of Nelson’s 11 penalties, seven have been false starts after he only had seven false starts combined in his previous six years. Nelson’s penalties have also resulted in seven stalled drives, which is a team high. Nelson is still one of the best guards in the league, but the four-time All-Pro admitted that he hasn’t played up to his typically high level and reliable standard.
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No. 4: RT Braden Smith: $17.5 million (No. 9)
Smith is out for the rest of the regular season after being placed on the reserve/non-football illness list. The Colts’ starting right tackle is widely considered one of the toughest players on the team, and his teammates have shown their full support as he deals with a personal matter. But before being ruled out for the season, Smith appeared in the Colts’ first 12 games and was flagged for a team-high 12 penalties. Five of those penalties were waived, yet three of them resulted in stalled drives. Smith has also allowed a team-high 24 pressures, per TruMedia, which is still a team high despite him missing the last two games.
No. 5: RB Jonathan Taylor: $14 million (No. 2)
Taylor is on pace to produce his first 1,000-yard rushing season since he won the league rushing title in 2021. However, this won’t be a year he wants to remember, mainly because of his mindless fumble on what should’ve been a 41-yard TD run in last week’s loss at Denver. Taylor’s fumble flipped the game and likely cost his team a playoff berth. Taylor, who missed three games this year due to a right high ankle sprain, has tied his career high with four fumbles this year, which is the most he’s had in a season since his rookie year in 2020.
No. 6: DT Grover Stewart: $13 million (No. 19)
Stewart remains a stalwart up front, though we’ve seen slippage from how he’s played in years past. The 31-year-old has 3.5 sacks, which is a half-sack away from tying his career high, but he’s also missed a career-high eight tackles and has a career-high 12.3 missed tackle percentage, per Pro Football Reference. Stewart’s main job is to spearhead the run defense. However, Indianapolis currently ranks 30th in the NFL while giving up 141.6 rushing yards per game.
No. 7: C Ryan Kelly: $12.5 million (No. 3)
This is likely Kelly’s last season in Indianapolis, especially considering he’s in the final year of his contract and has only appeared in seven games. The 31-year-old previously missed two games due to a neck injury and has missed the Colts’ last five games due to a right knee injury. Kelly has only given up one QB hit this season, per TruMedia, though obviously, his lack of availability hasn’t been helpful for a team trying to figure out if Richardson can be its quarterback of the future.
No. 8: ILB Zaire Franklin: $10.4 million (No. 6)
Franklin currently leads the NFL with 144 tackles, and he’s made a few more splash plays this year with career highs of two interceptions and three forced fumbles. But the part of Franklin’s game that holds him back from being elite is how much he gets exposed in pass coverage. Opposing QBs have completed 75 percent of their passes for 234 yards when targeting Franklin, per SIS DataHub. That has bled into the Colts’ overall pass defense, which is allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 69.7 percent of their passes, the fourth-highest mark in the NFL.
No. 9: Slot CB Kenny Moore II: $10 million (No. 3)
Moore has allowed a minus-10.3 EPA as the nearest defender this season, which is the seventh-fewest in the NFL among slot corners, per NFL Pro. But he’s lacking the splash plays that turned him into a Pro Bowler in 2021. Moore only has one interception, and despite missing two games due to a hip injury, his nine missed tackles in 12 games this year are the most he’s had in the last four seasons. Additionally, Moore’s 12.3 missed tackle percentage is his highest since his rookie campaign in 2018.
No. 10: QB Anthony Richardson: $8.5 million (No. 29)
Richardson is still on his rookie deal, and his salary reflects that. But as his second season comes to a close, it would be flat-out untrue to suggest the Colts have found their long-term answer at QB. Richardson is great at avoiding sacks, evidenced by his 4.89 sack percentage, which is the sixth-lowest mark in the NFL, but the bottom line is that he’s completing an NFL-low 47 percent of his passes. His inability to make the layup throws is not sustainable for a successful NFL offense, and it’s fair to wonder if he’ll ever be able to reach his potential if that part of his game doesn’t drastically improve. Of course, you also can’t talk about this season without mentioning that the Colts benched him for two weeks because they felt like the 22-year-old wasn’t working hard enough.
(Photos of Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr.: Andy Lyons and David Berding / Getty Images)
