The Indianapolis Colts are the envy of most teams in the league when it comes to offensive skill positions, namely at quarterback. Andrew Luck, still just 25, has already turned himself into one of the NFL's elite signal-callers after just three seasons in the league. He's led the Indianapolis franchise farther into the playoffs each successive season, culminating in an AFC Championship game appearance last year, and his 380 completions, 4,761 yards, 40 touchdowns and 96.5 rating in 2014 were all career-highs.
In short, with Luck on board, the future is bright in Indianapolis. Heck, it's already had an effect in that impact free agents like Frank Gore and Andre Johnson both cited Luck's presence as a major factor in their decision to join the Colts. Now set to enter his fourth year in the NFL and the final year of his rookie contract, Luck is surrounded by a bevy of weapons the likes of which he's never had before - Gore, Johnson and 2015 NFL Draft pick Phillip Dorsett join tight ends Dwayne Allen, Coby Fleener, running back Vick Ballard, and wide receivers Donte Moncrief and T.Y. Hilton in comprising a now-elite group of toys for Luck to make use of and, likely, improve on his already elite statistics from last year.
Unfortunately, the lack of a new contract for either Luck or Hilton and the minimal cap space with which Colts GM Ryan Grigson has to operate moving forward could potentially set up a situation wherein Hilton's future in Indianapolis is actually much more cloudier than fans would likely presume and possibly even very much in doubt.
"Several other execs believe that Luck's price tag might end up being so astronomical it puts them in a bind with Hilton," writes Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. "I figured Hilton would come in around $12M a year -- there are questions about just how much of his development is due to Luck's phenomenal talent -- around where Mike Wallace was a few years ago. But rival cap guys who are sizing up the Colts aren't sure they'll be able to dip that deep. Luck is going to become the highest-paid player in the history of the game, but the Hilton situation could get more interesting than many would have expected."
Considering an elite quarterback trumps every other position on an NFL football field, it makes ample sense Grigson and Co. would prioritize locking up Luck over keeping Hilton. Still, Hilton, also just 25, has eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark each of the past two seasons and came just 139-yards shy of surpassing it during a breakout rookie year. He's become a reliably electrifying weapon for Luck and has clearly played an important role in the team's success over the past three years.
That being said, Grigson and the rest of the Colts brass have just over $13 million in cap space at present. They likely view Hilton, talented though he may be, as very much a product of playing alongside a star-caliber quarterback like Luck as an actual elite wideout, capable of making his quarterback look better, ala Johnson or Dez Bryant. Hilton winds up on the receiving end of a lot of exciting plays, but he doesn't draw them up or make them happen - that's Luck's work and it's the reason the young quarterback's in line for a huge payday.
Once Luck's deal is done though, there simply may not be enough to go around for everyone. In that sense, the drafting of the speedy Dorsett, while seemingly unnecessary at the time, could, in fact, be the team's way of protecting themselves in the event of an eventual contract impasse with Hilton. If Dorsett develops as expected, it won't hurt nearly as much to either allow Hilton to walk away once his deal expires after this year or flip him for value once the offseason arrives.
In the end, Luck will get paid and remain the face of the Colts franchise for the foreseeable future and Hilton's tenure in Indianapolis likely hinges on his contract demands. If he's looking to break the bank, he could be knowingly or unknowingly assuring himself a one-way ticket out of town.
