Colts’ Michael Pittman Jr. got some good news heading into free agency

The team’s top receiver got several boosts to his free agency outlook.

The Indianapolis Colts should have always planned to bring Michael Pittman Jr. back on a new contract after his rookie contract ended at the end of the year. He showed his value by stepping up as the number one receiving threat on the team. He set a career high in yards even after missing the game against the Falcons. I believe they still will be able to find a way to bring him back on a long term deal, but after two events occurred elsewhere across the NFL landscape, the price may have just gone up a bit.

The NFL cap is going up. Way up.

The cap rose 30.6 million. That is a 13.6% increase from last year. That means teams have more money to play with. Teams that might not have been able to dabble much in the free agent market, now find themselves in play. That could open up a few more suiters for Pittman after he stated he wanted to see what was out there during the offseason. It also means that if the Colts decide to franchise tag Pittman, it will be a larger payday.

In addition to the sizeable cap increase, one of the big free agents is already off the board. Pittman was one of the top receivers on the free agent list going into the offseason as he rounded out the top teir with Tee Higgins and Mike Evans. Higgins was just franchise tagged by the Bengals, so he is going nowhere, at least for now. That showed Pittman what he would make under the same tag ($21.8 million) and took potentially the top name from the position off the market. The Colts will have to make sure they keep him on the roster now by whatever means.

Ideally, the Colts will sign Michael Pittman Jr. to a long term contract and lock him in through most of his prime years. As the team’s leading reciever the last several years, he has shown how valuable he his. The Colts now have even more cap to work with because of the increase, while at the same time, fewer options on the table with the franchising of Higgins. Whatever happens, Pittman will get paid, and paid handsomely.