Good piece. He’s right. Things are ok now, but they may not be for long.
What’s sad is, this had the look of a dream secondary, as dominant as any in football. Antoine Bethea and Sanders at the safeties, the young and talented Jackson and Hayden at safeties. Not to mention, all the depth — Melvin Bullitt at safety, Lacey and Powers at the corners.
Already, the radio airwaves are crackling with questions about Sanders’ Indianapolis future, so let me give you the easy answer: If he’s healthy, he’ll be back next year. Remember, there’s not going to be a cap, so it’s not like the Colts will save $5 million, which would be his cap number in a cap year. The Colts are only on the hook to pay him roughly $2.3 million next year in base salary, so it makes sense to take that minuscule financial risk in the hopes he stays healthy most of the season.
The real decision will come after next year, when his price goes up and, presumably, there’s a cap in place.
Jackson is less likely to return, unless he finds there’s no market for him as a restricted free agent, and he returns for a dramatically lower salary.
The Colts’ season just got a lot more challenging, a lot more interesting, and not in a good way.
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