3 Colts Takeaways From the Trade Deadline

The trade deadline has officially come and gone, with the Indianapolis Colts shipping out four players and acquiring a net total of four additional draft picks in the 2027 draft and one in the 2028 draft.

While the Colts moved quite a few big names out the door, namely franchise legend Quenton Nelson, the dialogue surrounding the team has more to do with the moves they didn’t make, rather than the ones that they did make. 

Reading between the lines, though, the process feels very transparent with the Colts on deadline day. Here are three of my biggest takeaways from all the moves the Colts did, or didn’t, make on Tuesday.

Carlie Irsay-Gordon’s approach to this deadline was pretty clear. Any player who is on an expiring contract and is unlikely to re-sign with the team this offseason was available, but any other player on the team would only be moved for an above-market-value price. Hence, the Colts listened to offers on Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor but ultimately didn’t move either piece. 

The reason for this? Irsay-Gordon wants to give as much autonomy to the next general manager as possible. Expiring contracts were fair game because the next general manager wouldn’t be able to extract any value out of them, but every other player’s fate will be left up to the next decision maker in Indianapolis. 

That brings me to Ed Dodds. Dodds is currently serving as the organization's point man for the rest of the season, and some have speculated he could even be in the running for the GM job when the season ends. This deadline approach tells me that is simply not the case, as Irsay-Gordon stripped away a lot of his ability to deal a player like Taylor in favor of giving that choice to the next general manager. 

If Dodds were truly in the running, he would have been able to make that move. This should signals to me that he is acting more of the set-up man to the true candidate this offseason than anything else.

With the Colts’ approach clear, the lone question is why the team didn’t move Grover Stewart. If the team was truly proactive in trading away expiring contracts, why not move the 33-year-old defensive tackle who becomes a free agent in a few months? The answer could simply be that Stewart would like to return to the Colts after the year.

Unlike DeForest Buckner and Josh Downs, who actively requested trades, Stewart never voiced wanting to leave Indianapolis. His play on the field is also indicative of this, as he’s still playing significant snaps and playing well for the team. The Colts are set to have upwards of $79 million in cap space this offseason, and that number could easily hit $100 million by releasing Mooney Ward, Arden Key, and Michael Clemons. The Colts will simply need bodies to play on the team next year. 

There is some sense in bringing Stewart back for another 1-2 years to finish out his career with the Colts. He’s still playing well, he fits what the team needs next to Adetomiwa Adebawore, and he’s a respected veteran in a locker room that lacks that voice right now. The choice will ultimately be made by the next general manager, but Irsay-Gordon at least wanted to leave that option open for them to make.

The Colts were never going to have the most attractive general manager opening this offseason. The team lacks a first-round pick in the upcoming draft and doesn’t have a long-term answer at quarterback, which makes the job a bit less desirable than others. That being said, I don’t think the job is unattractive to candidates either. 

The Colts are set to have 20 draft picks over the next two drafts, including 12 in the 2027 class. While most picks are on day three, that level of flexibility and controllable assets appeals to general managers. As mentioned before, the Colts should have over $100 million in cap space this offseason, and that’s before doing anything with Jones and his contract. 

The next general manager hire will have significant control to reshape this roster and build it around their vision. There is very little dead weight on this team in terms of long-term contracts right now, and plenty of runway to adjust it going forward. That should appeal to candidates, especially with a fanbase that feels very open to a rebuild that has been needed for the last five years. 

The Colts should be able to land a quality candidate this cycle even without the appeal of a first-round pick or an established quarterback in place.