With the NFL offseason almost wrapped up and training camp coming to a close soon, it’s a good time to take a look at each NFL team’s offseason recap as we get just a few weeks away from the start of the regular season. Let’s take a look at the Indianapolis Colts’ new team and analyze the team’s incoming and outgoing players as they shape up for the 2026 season.
After starting the 2025 season going 8-2 and looking like one of the best teams in the NFL, the Colts collapsed by the end of the season, losing their final seven games. Although the Colts had a disappointing end to their 2025 campaign, they showed in the earlier half of the season that they have the core talent to win games, and they focused this recent offseason on retooling the roster slightly and adding younger talent on defense.
Although not a new addition for the Colts, one of their biggest offseason moves was deciding to keep quarterback Daniel Jones on a two-year, $88 million contract that can reach $100 million with incentives. Jones had a great start to the 2025 season and was a major factor in the Colts starting the season 8-2 before an Achilles injury ended his year. It’s clear the Colts saw enough from Jones last year and believe they can consistently win with him under center.
The Colts made a late offseason decision to upgrade their receiving corps by signing six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen to a one-year deal worth more than $8 million. Allen is bringing over 12,000 career receiving yards to Indianapolis and also has a connection to head coach Shane Steichen from their time working together with the Chargers. Allen will be a reliable and important addition, especially considering the Colts traded Michael Pittman Jr. over the offseason.
The last of the main offseason additions for the Colts included signing cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt to a one-year deal. He’ll bring experience to an already solid corner room with Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward Sr. and help replace longtime Colt and veteran Kenny Moore II.
In what was the Colts’ biggest and most surprising move of the offseason, the Colts traded away Michael Pittman Jr. to Pittsburgh in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick while also giving up a seventh-rounder to the Steelers. Pittman spent his entire six seasons in the league with the Colts and finished his Indianapolis career with 485 receptions, 5,254 yards and 25 touchdowns. The Colts’ new receiver trio will now consist of Alec Pierce, who the Colts re-signed to a four-year, $114 million contract, Josh Downs and Keenan Allen.
An underrated offseason loss for the Colts was trading linebacker Zaire Franklin to the Packers in the deal that brought Colby Wooden to Indianapolis. Franklin totaled 100+ tackles in each of the last four seasons, including an NFL-best 173 combined tackles during the 2024 NFL season, and will be a big loss after leading the Colts’ defense for years. Wooden was recently waived by the Colts during the final roster cuts.
The last of the key losses for the Colts was Kenny Moore II, who requested a trade from the Colts and was subsequently released after the Colts were unable to find a trade partner. Moore, one of the longest-tenured players for the Colts who spent his entire nine-year career in Indianapolis, was a fan favorite and carved out an impressive and consistent role in the slot and will be tough to replace.
The Colts continued to invest youth in their defense through the draft and had a total of eight selections, with the first two selections addressing the defense. They lost their first-round pick after trading their 2026 and 2027 first-rounders to the Jets for Sauce Gardner last season.
The Colts’ first pick in the draft was used on linebacker CJ Allen at pick 53, and he’ll figure to have an important role on defense after Zaire Franklin’s departure this offseason. Allen was a first-team All-American and totaled 88 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in his final season at Georgia.
Safety A.J. Haulcy was selected in the third round and adds to the young additions the Colts made on the defensive side. Haulcy was a first-team All-SEC selection in 2025 and could find himself starting alongside Cam Bynum in the secondary.
Other notable Colts draft selections include guard Jalen Farmer (No. 113 overall), linebacker Bryce Boettcher (No. 135 overall), and edge George Gumbs Jr. (No. 156 overall).
The Colts had a pretty straightforward offseason, mainly reworking their roster slightly around Daniel Jones and making some significant changes on the defensive side. They made some difficult decisions in moving on from veterans such as Kenny Moore II, Michael Pittman Jr. and Zaire Franklin, but were clearly committed to getting faster and younger on defense.
The Colts showed last season they have the potential to be a top team in the league, especially if things are clicking on offense, but responsibility for their success will rely heavily on head coach Shane Steichen and quarterback Daniel Jones. Jones has struggled with injuries throughout his career, so the Colts’ success ceiling is as high as Jones can take them.
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