The Indianapolis Colts have a few overarching question marks at the moment. Quarterback Andrew Luck is entering the final year of his deal, as is head coach Chuck Pagano and wide receiver T.Y. Hilton. Indy has already made it known that they will not extend Luck this offseason and, conversely, have had no luck in re-signing Pagano so far. But owner Jim Irsay said recently that hammering out a new deal with Hilton is a top priority for the franchise.
"We'd like to make some progress, possibly get something done sooner than later," Irsay said to the Indianapolis Star. "It obviously takes both sides to come to a compromised agreement, so to speak. I think we're optimistic, obviously. My belief, and our team's belief, [General Manager] Ryan [Grigson] and Chuck as well, is draft great players and keep great players. We've kept great players into their second contract. Obviously, Reggie [Wayne], Robert [Mathis], [Dwight] Freeny, the list is long. We want to be able to do that. The most critical thing is keep them in their second contract. We're coming to that crossroads on some key guys, like T.Y. So I do expect something to get done there eventually for sure."
Many fans worried about Hilton's future with the team after the Colts selected Miami WR Philip Dorsett in the first-round of the draft this year. Dorsett, a speedster, has a very similar skill set to Hilton. But if Irsay's comments are to be believed, the Colts are only concerned with surrounding Luck with as much receiving talent as possible.
Hilton matched a career high last year in receptions (82) and touchdowns (7) while setting personal bests for receiving yards (1,345) and yards per catch average (16.4). Since being selected in the third round of the 2012 draft, Hilton has hauled in 214 passes for 3,289 yards and 19 touchdowns as Luck's go-to target.
