Colts place franchise tag on Michael Pittman Jr.
The Indianapolis Colts will place a franchise tag on star wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero was among the first to report Tuesday. He notes the tag will be for $21.8 million and that the two sides are still working toward a long-term extension.
Pittman, 26, has been one of the Colts’ best players for the last three seasons, so it’s not a surprise he got the tag after finishing out his rookie contract. The former second-round pick experienced career highs in catches (109) and receiving yards (1,152) with rookie Anthony Richardson and heralded backup Gardner Minshew behind center.
In just four seasons, the 6-foot-4 target’s tallied 336 catches, 3,662 yards and 15 touchdowns across 62 career games (56 starts), being Indianapolis’ biggest (figuratively and literally) pass catcher and overall playmaker on the outside.
It marks a rarity for Indianapolis to use its franchise tag, however. According to Colts beat writer Zak Keefer of The Athletic, the last time they used their franchise tag was to retain former punter and current sports media star Pat McAfee in 2013 ($2.9 million)–over a decade ago.
The Colts are the second franchise to use their franchise tag on a wide receiver; the only other being the Cincinnati Bengals tagging star wideout Tee Higgins. The team announced the franchise tag will be the non-exclusive tag, thus meaning that other teams can negotiate with Pittman Jr., and if a deal is a reached, Indianapolis can either match or receive two first-round picks.
Either way, it’s easy to foresee why they used it for the first time in 11 years, and I expect a long-term deal to be in place ahead of the 2024 season.
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This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for updates.
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