Some teams have tough choices to make before the May 3 deadline to pick up the fifth-year options they have on first-round picks from the 2012 draft.
The Colts are not one of those teams. They selected quarterback Andrew Luck with the first overall pick and he’s been everything they hoped he’d be while leading them to three playoff berths and two division titles in his first three NFL seasons.
As a result, it is absolutely no surprise that the Colts decided to exercise their option on Luck’s contract for the 2016 season. The option is guaranteed against injury only, although the prospect of the Colts changing their mind about keeping Luck for any skill-related reasons is about as great as the chance that the Colts move back to Baltimore.
Luck’s salary for 2016 would be a bit north of $16 million if he plays out the year under the terms of his rookie contract. Colts owner Jim Irsay indicated that talks for a longer deal weren’t on the agenda in the near term and the team could use the franchise tag to ensure Luck stays put in 2017, but it seems likely that extension talks will get underway sometime before that option year kicks in.