Cornerback Vontae Davis will not be designated the franchise player of the Indianapolis Colts.
Davis, acquired in 2012 for a second-round draft pick from the Miami Dolphins, starred for the Colts last season and the team wants him back, but not at the cost of a one-year deal that would consume one-fourth of their offseason cap space.
The Colts have more than $40 million to spend this offseason, but general manager Ryan Grigson said that the franchise will be a bit more selective when it comes to signing any prospective veteran free agents.
With quarterback Andrew Luck and several other young players having expiring contracts in the next couple of offseasons, the Colts are planning ahead.
Additionally, Grigson says that no decision has been made as to whether the Colts will use the franchise tag.
“Every day, you get different information that things can happen to where you never rule anything out. We’ll see,” he explained.
As for the impending free-agent market, Grigson says that the Colts will be careful with how they spend their money.
Last offseason, Indianapolis was one of the more active teams in free agency.
“In the future years, we have some key, key young talent — and I’m not going to give you any names but you know who they are — that we’re going to have to re-sign. So we have to be very prudent and fiscally sound in how we move forward,” he explained.
“We still have a plan in place and if there’s a chance for us to get better at any position, we’re going to try and get better if it makes sense from a fiscal standpoint for this club.”