Indianapolis Colts’ 10 largest salary cap hits in 2026
January 8, 2026
Indianapolis Colts’ 10 largest salary cap hits in 2026
11 comments
In case you don’t wanna click the article
WR Michael Pittman Jr.: $29.0 million
DT DeForest Buckner: $26.6 million
LG Quenton Nelson: $24.2 million
CB Charvarius Ward: $20.15 million
LT Bernhard Raimann: $17.51 million
RB Jonathan Taylor: $15.56 million
S Cam Bynum: $15.01 million
DT Grover Stewart: $14.25 million
CB Kenny Moore: $13.2 million
QB Anthony Richardson: $10.81 million
Buckner should be traded to a better SB contending team, period
That Pittman number is wild man. I like the guy but if you can move that contract this offseason, you do it 10 times out of 10.
I may get downvoted to hell for even suggesting this, but I think they should get rid of Zaire Franklin.
If Pittman really likes being in Indy so much maybe he’ll restructure. Same with Buckner but I doubt it. Ward probably won’t be here next year, he should retire. AR can get cut.
This is rough. I think major changes need to happen.
Cut: Kenny and Grove. Grove regressed a lot as a run stopper and Kenny is just not a good fit in Anarumo’s system. Also age is already catching up with them.
Trade: Pittman, Buckner, and AR. Pittman is insanely overpaid for how mediocre he has been. Buckner’s neck injury is concerning and he should be on a contender. AR is basically Trey Lance at this point.
Retire: Ward. I would LOVE for Ward and Sauce to be together on the field. I just feel for Ward. He had a horrible tragedy and is suffering from multiple concussions. As much as I would love to have him on the roster, I think health and family are too important.
Only changes I see realistically is Ward retiring. I doubt Ballard gets rid of anyone.
How the fuck did we give Pitt 29 mil a year
Get regressing Pitt, injury cooked Buck, and probably retiring Ward off the books and you got a lot of room to work with
Absolutely disgusting
At least Pitt’s contract was team friendly. If had progressed into the WR1 we needed, the cost would have been fine. Now we can just cut him for $5M dead cap. I like his toughness and willing to sell out his body, but he’s a possession WR2 being paid like dominant WR1. Which he never was. Not his fault. He got paid. Good for his him and his family (who are ADORABLE). Time to move on.
Might need to think about Pittman and Richardson. Neither really fit the long term plan. Cut Pittman out of respect and someone will sign him for a nice deal. Trade Richardson for anyone who dares to send a mid round pick. Sign danny.
Edit: pittmans contract is so cuttable it almost has to happen. We need to cut him and rebuild the wr room elsewhere
If I were Ballard and I wanted to save my ass:
* Pittman: He can’t play for us on a $29 million dollar price tag. I don’t think we want to completely cut him, though, so a 1-2 year extension or some kind of contract restructure to lower that cap hit to the $15 million range is much more reasonable for someone coming off an 80-784-7 receiving line. Especially since he knows we need to pay Pierce and (if we bring him back) Daniel Jones.
* Buckner: I love Buck, but we cannot pay a pair of 32-year old defensive tackles a combined $40+ million. I think we have a few options here:
* Trade him for a 2nd or 3rd round pick. Not ideal, but it would save us $20 million against the cap.
* Again, extend or restructure to make his cap hit more reasonable. He’s coming off a year where he only played about half the season; 4 sacks, 9 TFLS, and 13 QB hits is not worth $26 million and he knows it.
* Nelson: Can’t afford to lose him considering that the right side of the line is a nightmare. If we’re not tearing it down, he’s gotta be an extension and it should ideally happen sooner rather than later.
* Ward: Low-key, hopefully he just retires. These concussion issues he’s battling are no joke, and $20 million dollars isn’t worth long-term issues. If he can come back 100% (unlikely) then he’s probably still worth it for one more year.
* Raimann: Just extended him, he’s 28, and he’s one of the better left tackles in the league. $17.5 million is a steal, just like he was in the 3rd round of the draft.
* JT: Trading him saves us $13 million and could net us a 3rd round pick, maybe? Except it leaves us with another position of need and nobody to fill that role to anywhere the same level JT does. Extension or nothing.
* Bynum: We lose money if we move off his deal in 2026, so he stays.
* Stewart: $14 million is a lot for a run-stuffer who can’t pressure the QB. We save $12 million if we cut him and the same amount if we can trade him, and again, he’s 32 years old.
* Moore: $13 for an undersized safety who can really only play slot corner, but only within 5 yards of the line of scrimage. Cut, preferably with a post-June 1st designation so that we save almost $10 million.
* Richardson: We don’t save a penny if we cut him and his trade value is non-existent. We’re stuck with him. Hopefully he stops recording records and starts working on his durability and accuracy.
Honorable mention: LB Zaire Franklin – cut him 1st day of the new league year. He’s not worth $8.25 million dollars and we save most of that ($5.75 million) if he’s off the roster.
11 comments
In case you don’t wanna click the article
WR Michael Pittman Jr.: $29.0 million
DT DeForest Buckner: $26.6 million
LG Quenton Nelson: $24.2 million
CB Charvarius Ward: $20.15 million
LT Bernhard Raimann: $17.51 million
RB Jonathan Taylor: $15.56 million
S Cam Bynum: $15.01 million
DT Grover Stewart: $14.25 million
CB Kenny Moore: $13.2 million
QB Anthony Richardson: $10.81 million
Buckner should be traded to a better SB contending team, period
That Pittman number is wild man. I like the guy but if you can move that contract this offseason, you do it 10 times out of 10.
I may get downvoted to hell for even suggesting this, but I think they should get rid of Zaire Franklin.
If Pittman really likes being in Indy so much maybe he’ll restructure. Same with Buckner but I doubt it. Ward probably won’t be here next year, he should retire. AR can get cut.
This is rough. I think major changes need to happen.
Cut: Kenny and Grove. Grove regressed a lot as a run stopper and Kenny is just not a good fit in Anarumo’s system. Also age is already catching up with them.
Trade: Pittman, Buckner, and AR. Pittman is insanely overpaid for how mediocre he has been. Buckner’s neck injury is concerning and he should be on a contender. AR is basically Trey Lance at this point.
Retire: Ward. I would LOVE for Ward and Sauce to be together on the field. I just feel for Ward. He had a horrible tragedy and is suffering from multiple concussions. As much as I would love to have him on the roster, I think health and family are too important.
Only changes I see realistically is Ward retiring. I doubt Ballard gets rid of anyone.
How the fuck did we give Pitt 29 mil a year
Get regressing Pitt, injury cooked Buck, and probably retiring Ward off the books and you got a lot of room to work with
Absolutely disgusting
At least Pitt’s contract was team friendly. If had progressed into the WR1 we needed, the cost would have been fine. Now we can just cut him for $5M dead cap. I like his toughness and willing to sell out his body, but he’s a possession WR2 being paid like dominant WR1. Which he never was. Not his fault. He got paid. Good for his him and his family (who are ADORABLE). Time to move on.
Might need to think about Pittman and Richardson. Neither really fit the long term plan. Cut Pittman out of respect and someone will sign him for a nice deal. Trade Richardson for anyone who dares to send a mid round pick. Sign danny.
Edit: pittmans contract is so cuttable it almost has to happen. We need to cut him and rebuild the wr room elsewhere
If I were Ballard and I wanted to save my ass:
* Pittman: He can’t play for us on a $29 million dollar price tag. I don’t think we want to completely cut him, though, so a 1-2 year extension or some kind of contract restructure to lower that cap hit to the $15 million range is much more reasonable for someone coming off an 80-784-7 receiving line. Especially since he knows we need to pay Pierce and (if we bring him back) Daniel Jones.
* Buckner: I love Buck, but we cannot pay a pair of 32-year old defensive tackles a combined $40+ million. I think we have a few options here:
* Trade him for a 2nd or 3rd round pick. Not ideal, but it would save us $20 million against the cap.
* Again, extend or restructure to make his cap hit more reasonable. He’s coming off a year where he only played about half the season; 4 sacks, 9 TFLS, and 13 QB hits is not worth $26 million and he knows it.
* Nelson: Can’t afford to lose him considering that the right side of the line is a nightmare. If we’re not tearing it down, he’s gotta be an extension and it should ideally happen sooner rather than later.
* Ward: Low-key, hopefully he just retires. These concussion issues he’s battling are no joke, and $20 million dollars isn’t worth long-term issues. If he can come back 100% (unlikely) then he’s probably still worth it for one more year.
* Raimann: Just extended him, he’s 28, and he’s one of the better left tackles in the league. $17.5 million is a steal, just like he was in the 3rd round of the draft.
* JT: Trading him saves us $13 million and could net us a 3rd round pick, maybe? Except it leaves us with another position of need and nobody to fill that role to anywhere the same level JT does. Extension or nothing.
* Bynum: We lose money if we move off his deal in 2026, so he stays.
* Stewart: $14 million is a lot for a run-stuffer who can’t pressure the QB. We save $12 million if we cut him and the same amount if we can trade him, and again, he’s 32 years old.
* Moore: $13 for an undersized safety who can really only play slot corner, but only within 5 yards of the line of scrimage. Cut, preferably with a post-June 1st designation so that we save almost $10 million.
* Richardson: We don’t save a penny if we cut him and his trade value is non-existent. We’re stuck with him. Hopefully he stops recording records and starts working on his durability and accuracy.
Honorable mention: LB Zaire Franklin – cut him 1st day of the new league year. He’s not worth $8.25 million dollars and we save most of that ($5.75 million) if he’s off the roster.