Colts might be on the verge of getting a major assist from the NFL to help them accomplish their primary goal for the offseason
The NFL’s latest update is going to help the Colts re-sign Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce ahead of free agency.
The Indianapolis Colts have made it clear their primary goal heading into this offseason is re-signing quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce.
The Colts view that duo as their top two in-house free agents, and they plan for both to return to Indianapolis in 2026. Neither is likely to come cheap, though, after playing arguably the best football of each of their careers.
Recent news from the NFL shared a projection for the league’s cap limit for the 2026 season. As has been the case in recent years, a significant increase is expected. This news probably sounds like music to the Colts’ ears.
The NFL’s projected cap increase will help the Colts chances of re-signing Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce
Pierce has truly developed into the Colts’ top WR over the past few years. The team made a risky decision not to extend him earlier, and now his asking price has hit an all-time high. The WR also made it clear after the season that bringing back Jones at QB, even after his season ending injury, would also help him put pen to paper.
The NFL’s projection of the 2026 cap limit at $301.2-$305.7 million is an increase of over $30 million from 2025. Some may think this points to the Colts bringing in more outside free agents, but I don’t think that will be the team’s focus.
NFL teams have said in the past that the cap space increase isn’t usually enough to help them target outside free agents. After all this, the increase gives every NFL team more cap space. Instead, it is typically used to retain your own players and prevent them from hitting the free agency market altogether.
The cap increase will have the Colts at roughly $35 million in cap space. I would expect the Colts to find other ways to create more cap space by restructuring contracts or moving on from veteran players.
This is going to be a very important off-season for the Colts, and the added cap space will help them make the moves necessary to end their five-year playoff drought. Now we will just have to wait and see how they use it.
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