Question: We have heard a lot about the big name players from the Colts who will be free agents in the offseason such as Edge, Wayne and Freeney. Who are the lesser-known players who contribute to the team that are eligible for free agency? Which of those players will the Colts keep?(Zach from Charleston, Ill.)
Answer: Players who will become unrestricted free agents at the end of the season include Edgerrin James, Reggie Wayne, Mike Vanderjagt, David Thornton, Raheem Brock, Rob Morris, James Mungro, Troy Walters and Joseph Jefferson. The Colts have concentrated on re-signing their own free agents as much as the salary cap allows. How that will work out this coming offseason is hard to say. The most interesting player, of course, is James. It would make more cap sense to sign him to a long-term contract. Using the franchise tag again would be very expensive. I don’t believe Wayne is going anywhere and the team probably will make an attempt at re-signing Brock, Thornton, Mungro, Jefferson and Walters. Hard to say with Morris. Like James, Vanderjagt’s status will be interesting to follow.
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Question: How can the Colts sign Reggie Wayne and Edgerrin James at the end of the season? Also, when is Dwight Freeney’s contract up? (Chris from New Albany, Ind.)
Answer: The Colts can make it work if they want to make it work. The problem isn’t making it work under the salary cap. Signing James to a long-term deal would be much more cap friendly than the approximate $10 million he will count if the Colts use the franchise tag on him again. What probably will make it difficult is the signing bonuses required to sign both players. That’s up-front money, guaranteed money. Also, Peyton Manning is due a $9 million roster bonus and Marvin Harrison a $10 million roster bonus in 2006. Again, that’s up-front money, even if the team takes the likely step of turning those bonuses in to signing bonuses so they can be pro-rated over the next several seasons. That’s a lot of cash for owner Jim Irsay to dole out in a short period of time. As for Freeney, he is under contract through the 2006 season. However, he already has triggered an escalator in the contract that boosts his 2006 base salary to $5 million. The team might try to re-sign Freeney before his contract expires, which further complicates any attempt to re-sign both Wayne and James.