Colts sign Johnathan Hankins to $30 million deal

Johnathan Hankins signed with the Indianapolis Colts after initially leaving without a contract.

Many were wondering how Johnathan Hankins could possibly still be on the market at this point in the offseason.  After all, Hankins is regarded as one of the top nose tackles in the NFL. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Hankins has finally found a home.

This comes on the heels of a report by Stephen Holder of the Indy Star, which stated a deal between the Colts and Hankins was unlikely after the nose tackle left Indianapolis without a contract.

According to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, the Giants had a four year, $28 million offer on the table for Hankins, who was initially looking for close to $15 million per year.  Hankins had since lowered his asking price significantly, but the Giants had already allocated a larger portion of funds to their other defensive tackle, Damon ‘Snacks’ Harrison, who signed with the team last offseason.

Hankins will be called upon to improve a Colts’ defense that was ranked 30th in overall yards allowed and 25th in rushing yards. In four years with the Giants, Hankins totaled 140 combined tackles (87 solo) with four sacks.

With Ryan Grigson out as general manager, new hire Chris Ballard has been aggressive in strengthening Indy’s positions of need, having already signed linebackers Barkevious Mingo and Sean Spence, defensive end Margus Hunt and offensive lineman Brian Schwenke.

Next: Best NFL player from each state

Considering the Colts new-look defense and the always-dangerous Andrew Luck, Indianapolis is in a prime position to contend in what has been a weak AFC South over the past few seasons.