Colts face difficult contract decision with former first-round pick

Kevin Hickey

Colts face difficult contract decision with former first-round pick image

The focus of the Indianapolis Colts is fully on the 2024 NFL draft, but they face a difficult decision pertaining to the contract of one of their former first-round picks.

Defensive end Kwity Paye is set to enter his fourth season in the NFL after being selected as the No. 21 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. Because he was a first-round pick, his rookie contract includes a fifth-year team option.

The Colts have to make a decision on whether they want to exercise the fifth-year option of the contract before May 2.

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Kwity Paye's fifth-year option decision

The Colts have some time before they need to make a decision on the fifth-year option for Paye, which would cost them $13,387,000 fully guaranteed for the 2025 season.

Paye hasn't quite reached his ceiling yet as a pass rusher, but he has shown some promise that he's trending in the right direction.

The Michigan product has dealt with some injuries throughout his young career, but he did finish the 2023 season with a career-high 8.5 sacks. He's improved his sack total every season in the NFL.

Kwity Paye career stats

Year Games Tackles Solo Tackles Sacks QB Hits TFL
2021 15 32 16 4.0 10 3
2022 12 6.0 45 32 10 10
2023 16 8.5 52 31 9 8
Career 43 18.5 129 79 29 21

Where Paye needs to improve his game is the consistency aspect. There are far too many times when he disappears for whole games at a time. That said, the Colts are willing to be patient with the uber-athletic pass rusher.

The increasing salary cap in future years might make this decision a bit easier for the Colts, but it's far from a slam-dunk.

For more Colts coverage, check out Kevin Hickey's work on Sporting News.

Kevin Hickey

Kevin Hickey Photo

Hickey was previously the managing editor of USA Today's Colts Wire. His work is also featured as a fantasy football analyst for The Huddle. A career .232 hitter, he is an avid reader of Spider-Man comics, an admirer of the James Webb Space Telescope, and a keen enthusiast of Ma’s sauce. You can find him on Twitter/X @KevinHickey11