In the coming days, I’ll be doing brief synopses for each NFL team regarding their current cap situation and offseason approach they should take.
We’ll start with the teams that have the most cap space available, then work our way down to those teams who have less cap space, to those who have work to do to gain cap space.
Each synopsis will look at cap space (or how much over the cap), players under contract, total draft picks, any players with a fifth-year option decision ahead and notes about the most notable free agent, the most likely player cut and the quarterback situation.
Up next in this series is the Indianapolis Colts.
Players under contract for 2026: 60
Projected cap space: $35M
Total draft picks: Seven (no first-round pick)
Most notable free agent: Alec Pierce
Most likely roster cut: Grover Stewart
Fifth-year option decision: Anthony Richardson
Quarterback situation: Daniel Jones played well to start, but not as well down the stretch, then injuries ended his season. The Colts will need to add a veteran given that it’s highly unlikely that Jones will be healthy to start the 2026 season.
The ideal offseason approach:
The Colts took a big swing at midseason with the expectation that they were going to the playoffs, but they didn’t play as well in the second half, then lost Jones, which ended their playoff hopes.
As a result, the Colts need to reassess their position. They do have cap space available, so they can explore free agency, but they must keep in mind that a lot depends on their QB situation.
One option is to look at QBs who are released and are owed a lot of money by their current teams. They can then sign such a QB for the veteran minimum. They could also consider trading players for draft capital, though it may be difficult to get a first-round pick for any of their current players.