5 reasons Andrew Luck extension is a bad move for Colts
By John Buhler
1. How will team building go in the future with all that guaranteed money?
As with any big contract, one has to look at where the bulk of the money is going to be allocated. Unfortunately for the Colts, Luck’s new deal is heavily backloaded. This means that Indianapolis will have to spend more of its available salary cap with each subsequent season on Luck as he ages.
The reason that this is so bad for the Colts’ future is that while Indianapolis can still win at a high level in the first few years of the deal, there won’t be as much money to keep top free agents in Indianapolis or to even pursue marquee players hitting the market from other teams.
No doubt that Luck has generational talent, but even great athlete’s futures are an uncertainty. What if Luck peaks before 30? He’ll still be under contract with the Colts until he’s 32 and making well over $20 million annually.
Sure, the Colts front office can look for creative ways to convince Luck to eventually take a pay cut, but whose to say he’d be willing to do that for a team possibly on the decline at the end of the decade?
This $140 million contract honestly gives Luck the upper hand with the Colts for the next six years. Indianapolis already doesn’t have a complete roster that seems viable for Super Bowl contention in 2016. A playoff team, yes, but capable of winning at least in a row, we’ll see.
Luck’s contract puts intense pressure on Grigson to crush every NFL Draft in the next five years. Keep in mind that Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano were very much on the hot seat in 2015 before Irsay surprised everyone with massive contract extensions.
With the ink on the Luck contract extension drying, the Colts are 100% in win-now mode entering 2016. It’s Super Bowl Championship or bust for the Colts these next six years. The undeniable pressure is on all in the Colts organization.
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