ANDERSON, IN -- Indianapolis Colts LT Anthony Castonzo confirmed reports that he is in contract negotiations with the team. Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star was able to get Castonzo to confirm these reports when he talked with Castonzo at the Colts training camp in Anderson, Indiana.
Anthony Castonzo is going to be coming off of his rookie contract after the end of this upcoming season, which he signed back in 2011. Castonzo was a first round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. He is set to make $7.43 million in 2015. Castonzo is expected to make a 'good amount' of money, but no exact details from their negotiations have been released.
Indianapolis has been a team that struggles with staying healthy, but that hasn't been a problem for Anthony Castonzo. He has started 60 games at the left tackle position since his 2011 rookie season. Castonzo has also played three full seasons without missing a single game. That is very valuable, especially considering the fact that he will be relied upon to protect franchise quarterback Andrew Luck.
According to Spotrac, there are six offensive tackles that make more than $10 million per season. It should be expected that Anthony Castonzo will be making a good amount more than that number, in fact, consider that to be a bare minimum. Indianapolis will have to pay Andrew Luck after this season, but it is also important to pay the man who will be protecting his blind side too.
Anthony Castonzo is among the best tackles in football, he is a center piece for the Colts' offensive line. It is very important for the team to bring him back because good lineman don't come around everyday for Indianapolis. It will be interesting to see how Castonzo is paid by the Colts, or maybe even if he is willing to take a little less than what he could earn from the open market.
Pro Football Focus graded Anthony Castonzo as the 12th best offensive tackle in all of football. That is impressive considering that there are 64 starting tackles in the NFL. This is where is gets interesting though, Castonzo is ranked as the 10th best left tackle. That could lower his value on the open market since he isn't an 'elite' left tackle. That could help the Colts in negotiations.
Anthony Castonzo isn't the only player that is up for a new contract after this season. The following Colts players are going to have their contracts expire after this season: T.Y. Hilton, Dwayne Allen, Anthony Castonzo, Coby Fleener, Jerrell Freeman, Greg Toler, Matt Hasselbeck, Adam Vinatieri, Todd Herremans, Dan Herron (Restricted FA), Lance Louis, and Dwight Lowery. Also, Andrew Luck becomes a free agent the following season, so they will have to pay him as well.
Indianapolis currently has $121,640,608 on the books as their salary cap total for the 2016-17 season. The 2016 NFL salary cap is set at $150,000,000, which means that the Colts would have $28,359,392 in salary cap space. It is important to remember that this is before any new contracts are made, this value could drastically change after some new contract extensions are made. Also, Andrew Luck is on the books for $16,155,000 for 2016-17, which means they wouldn't have to pay him his new contract until the 2017-18 season. Indianapolis only has $67,585,246 in salary cap for the 2017-18 season, so Indianapolis could get creative with their contracts and potentially keep more key players than what the national media is letting the fans on to believe as possible.