It’s never easy for NFL teams to make roster cuts, especially if it’s a pillar of the franchise. For the Indianapolis Colts, no player frees up more cap space than wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.
Kyle Dvorchak of NBC Sports puts Pittman into the Colts’ category of every team’s top cut candidate for the 2026 season. Putting Pittman on the chopping block would free up a mountainous $24 million in cap space.
“This one might sound a bit far-fetched, but it’s at least plausible. On an annual basis, Pittman is currently the 16th-highest-paid wideout.
He played all 17 games in 2025 and finished 29th in receiving yards. He fared even worse in the fancy metrics, ranking 47th in PFF receiving grade and 49th in yards per route run.
The Colts, however, do have a wideout who ranked top-20 in yards, receiving grade, and YPRR: Alec Pierce. The two play polar opposite roles, but Pierce—an impending free agent—played at a level in 2025 that warrants a Pittman-esque contract.
If the Colts want to keep Pierce and Daniel Jones—also a free agent—in the fold, cutting Pittman might be the cost of doing business.”