Dein erstes Forum » INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Margus Hunt enjoyed playing

in Indianapolis so much last season he decided to stick around for two more years with the Colts.And he didn’t give anyone else a chance to weigh in.One week before Hunt was set to become a free agent T.J. Green Color Rush Jersey , the starting defensive tackle agreed to a new contract assuring he will play a key role as the Colts’ promising young defense tries to take the next step.“They clearly were trying to keep me here,” Hunt said on a conference call with reporters shortly after the deal was announced Tuesday. “The offer that was put in place sounded great, and I didn’t want to leave this kind of a locker room behind, and where it’s heading. I didn’t want to leave that behind and it worked out.”ESPN first reported Hunt would receive $9 million over the next two seasons, terms a person with knowledge of the deal confirmed to The Associated Press. The person requested anonymity because Indianapolis does not release terms of contracts publicly.Hunt, 31, might have been able to get more on the open market after starting 15 games last season and posting career highs in tackles (30), sacks (five) and tackles for loss (13). He also forced one fumble, recovered another and showed the skills that made him a second-round draft pick in 2013.But Hunt liked the fit — on the field and in the locker room — after Indy changed coaches and switched back to a 4-3 defensive front.The Colts liked the results after moving the 6-foot-8, 298-pound lineman from defensive end to defensive tackle, partially because of need but also because his length and quickness made him a disruptive force on the interior line.General manager Chris Ballard told reporters last Wednesday he wanted to keep Hunt and intended to meet with his agent during the NFL’s annual scouting combine, which ended Monday in Indy.It didn’t take long to work it out.“I was really hoping this contract would happen sooner rather than later https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Matthias-Farley-Jersey , so it wasn’t really a hard decision as to whether we should play the market or not,” Hunt said. “I knew if a situation developed where I could be back here in this market and with these guys, it was a no-brainer.”Ballard prefers using salary-cap space to keep his own players whenever possible. He’s already re-signed three key players this offseason — kicker Adam Vinatieri, right guard Mark Glowinski and now Hunt — and he could make more moves before the market opens next Wednesday. The most likely in-house candidates would be safety Clayton Geathers and cornerback Pierre Desir.But with roughly $105 million in cap room, Ballard still has plenty of money to plug holes. And he has Hunt back to help.Hunt was originally drafted by Cincinnati and made 84 tackles and had 7 ½ sacks in four seasons with the Bengals. He joined the Colts as a free agent in 2017 and played primarily as backup that season.“I don’t know if the stars aligned or what happened, but I was able to have a great year,” Hunt said. “Hopefully I can keep progressing and we can have a great year.” I’ve been going back and forth with bellyaching Colts fans thus far in the off-season prior to the Colts’ next trip to the Super Bowl in 2019 (called shot). I came up with a thought exercise to get..." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesStampede Blue homepageHorizontal - WhiteStampede Bluean Indianapolis Colts communityFollow Stampede Blue online:Follow Stampede Blue on TwitterFollow Stampede Blue on FacebookLog in or sign upLog InSign UpSite searchSearchSearchStampede Blue main menuFanpostsFanshotsColtsShopAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Colts StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Colts NewsYahoo Colts Team PageYahoo Colts ReportYahoo Colts Depth ChartYahoo Colts TransactionsYahoo Colts PhotosShop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕Breaking NewsAndrew Luck Retires×Colts staying the course in free agency with eyes on the draftNew,109commentsEDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:Colts staying the course in free agency with eyes on the draftTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Bob Levey/Getty ImagesI’ve been going back and forth with bellyaching Colts fans thus far in the off-season prior to the Colts’ next trip to the Super Bowl in 2019 (called shot). I came up with a thought exercise to get you through this apparently “unbearable period of time” in which the Colts barely make a peep in free agency. Keep in mind that we’re just looking at a player’s base salary instead of cap hit for reference because it’s all about guaranteed money. Understand that yes, we could dive deeper into the exact financials of any deal to see if it would have been reasonable, but I’m not here to debate roster bonuses and performance bonuses as some sort of out to the argument. Let’s leave those at the door.Can you name one free agent that you’d pay more than T.Y. Hilton to come play for the Colts?If you said “Of course not. T.Y. is the linchpin of the offense and our most reliable and consistent play-maker. He’s Andrew Luck’s favorite target. What kind of question is that?”Good answer. His salary is $13 million for 2019. That eliminates guys like Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell, right? If you ever thought for one second that there was a chance “the price is right” for either of them, consider that both of them just got paid more per year by their new teams than T.Y. will this year. Nothing says loyalty than making sure your own home-grown stars are your highest earners.Let’s move on to the next example.Can you name one free agent that you’d pay more than Andrew Luck gets paid this year?If you answered “Of course not Christine Michael Sr Jersey , Jared. He’s our Captain. Our franchise quarterback. A once in a generation talent. What kind of idiotic question is that?”Well, his salary is $9 million for 2019. That basically meant no Trent Brown, C.J. Mosley, Kwon Alexander, Mitch Morse, or Tyrell Williams. I’d also argue that $9 million number for Luck means no Bradley Roby, Sheldon Richardson or LaMarcus Joyner either, right?What kind of slap in the face to a guy like Luck would any of those signings have been?Can you name a free agent you’d pay more than Anthony Castonzo?If you blurted out “What are you thinking? He’s our anchor tackle. Without him, we’re toast on offense”, well... yeah you’re still right. Right?This is where we could argue about the fine line between upgrading the team and muddying the roster. Castonzo’s $6 million salary means no Ja’Wuan James, Tashan Gipson, Golden Tate Pat McAfee Color Rush Jersey , John Brown, Za’Daruis Smith, Earl Thomas, Cole Beasley, Jamison Crowder, Trey Flowers, Rodger Saffold, C.J. Uzomah, Preston Smith, Jordan Hicks, Kareem Jackson, Robert Alford https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Jack-Doyle-Jersey , and no, the Colts weren’t in on Tyrann Mathieu either.Someone in the comments will bring up Devin Funchess and I’ll calmly remind you that his salary is $3 million. Another will bring up Pierre Desir, but his base salary is $1 million. Thanks for playing, though! Roster bonuses and performance bonuses are not guaranteed money.Our beloved GM Chris Ballard has said time and time again that the Colts are not going to take a shot on a high value free agent. The Colts are going to build through the draft and use free agency to fill holes caused by injury. If your head is spinning, consider that 7 of these free agents that have signed for more money per year than Anthony Castonzo are 30 years old or older.Did you know that if you take Adam Vinatieri out of the equation, the Colts have the youngest roster in the NFL?Think about that. What logic is there in trying to sign players you’ll have to pay more than your current stars if your general manager has said he isn’t a fan of spending big on free agency and that his intent is to grow his own and build through the draft.I understand the possibility that if you don’t pay free agents now, you’ll struggle to do so in the future. Methinks consistently winning while organically building your roster will have a net positive effect on your team’s ability to draw free agents in the future. I imagine that the Colts interviewed several potential free agents and decided it’s probably better to get younger instead of attempting to “pay to win”. Think about the teams doling out big dollars for free agents so far. Oakland? Cleveland? Both New York teams? Perennial winners? Nope. I’d argue John Dorsey knows what he’s doing, Dave Gettleman must be trying to get himself fired or run out of town, Mayock/Gruden are somewhere in between the other two GMs here and the jury is still out on Mike Maccagnan.I’d be interested to see what you think about this thought exercise. Does this make sense? Does this ease your mind a bit? Let me know what you think in the comments.