Where will Coby Fleener sign in 2016 NFL free agency?
It’s a bit crazy to think about, but Indianapolis Colts tight end Coby Fleener and franchise quarterback Andrew Luck have now been playing catch for seven years. Roommates and teammates together at Stanford, the dynamic duo came into the NFL together after spending three years playing for the Cardinal. Their fates remained intertwined as both found themselves drafted by the same team in 2012.
Taken with the first-overall pick that year, Luck isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Fleener, on the other hand, has a less certain future as he now enters free agency having never really established himself as a solid tight end. He might not even be the top tight end on his own roster – Fleener has routinely shared first-team reps with Dwayne Allen over the course of his career.
Vitals
Age: 27
Notable stat:Â 17 career receiving touchdowns
All-Pro teams: 0
Pro Bowls: 0
Contract comparison
Fleener just finished playing under a four year contract that paid him about $5.3 million. That averaged out to approximately $1.3 million a year, which seems reasonable considering Fleener’s steady albeit modest production over that timeframe. He’s only missed a handful of games over his four years in the league, and he’s averaged a healthy 11.8 yards per reception. His low career averages of 538 receiving yards per season and 4.25 touchdowns per season do knock him down a few notches in the hierarchy of tight ends, however, especially considering his supposed chemistry with one of the game’s most anointed quarterbacks.
Zach Ertz of the Philadelphia Eagles is a good person to look at when comparing market values. Both Fleener and Ertz have high ceilings and high expectations, but both have underwhelmed consistently enough to raise eyebrows. Still, the scarcity of talent at the position inflates Fleener’s worth as a prospect, and he might command more money in free agency than he actually deserves.
Estimate:Â 4 years/$20 million/$10 million guaranteed
Will he stay?
The Indianapolis Colts are squarely in the middle of the pack when it comes to salary cap flexibility this offseason. The team’s biggest needs are along the offensive line, and head coach Chuck Pagano and GM Ryan Grigson should look to address that situation primarily through the draft. As far as free agency goes, there’s a chance the Colts play this summer a little more conservatively, considering the failed experiment with Andre Johnson last year.
Fleener isn’t exactly a lynchpin in what is supposed to be a high-powered Colts offense, but he does bring a lot to the table just in terms of his long history playing alongside Luck. That fact alone should not be discounted when it comes time for the team to decide his fate.
If he leaves…
With legendary tight end Heath Miller deciding to call it a career last month, the Pittsburgh Steelers have emerged as a sure-fire shopper for tight ends this offseason. They could look to the draft, but they might have better success targeting Fleener in free agency. Ben Roethlisberger probably would appreciate Fleener’s durability and toughness of the playing field, and the two could have success together.
The Houston Texans also haven’t had a reliable option at tight end since Owen Daniels left. Garrett Graham has done nothing to prove himself as a starter, and C.J. Fiedorowicz has made life harder on team apparel jersey printers than he has on opposing defenses.
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