The Colts released veteran offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus this morning — the club will save $4MM in cap space this season, but they’ll incur $5.8MM in dead money in 2016. Let’s look at some of the reaction to the move, as well as what it means for both the Colts and Cherilus himself:
- The Colts tried to work out a contract restructure before releasing Cherilus, but negotiations were not fruitful, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. Cherlius’ agent, Greg Diulus, tells Holder that Indy’s offer was “not a reasonable proposal.”
- Cherilus is “healthy and in great shape,” Diulus tells Holder, a sentiment that Holder corroborates with a second source. But even though the veteran right tackle is injury-free at the moment, the Colts still view him as an injury risk. Were to he suffer another serious injury during training camp or the preseason, the club would’ve been on the hook for his entire 2015 cap charge, so parting ways now makes sense, writes Holder.
- More from Holder, who says that while a reunion between Cherilus and Indianapolis isn’t out of the question, the 31-year-old expects to sign elsewhere.
- Given Cherilus’ 2016 cap charge of $9.9MM, he was probably going to be released after the upcoming season regardless, tweets Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap. By releasing him now, the Colts are able to save $4MM, which might not seem like a significant figure, but given that the club is going to offer a large extension to quarterback Andrew Luck, every penny that can be saved — both in cash and on the salary cap — is beneficial, says Fitzgerald (Twitter link).
- Now that Jack Mewhort is slated to take over at right tackle, Mike Wells of ESPN.com rounds up some quotes from general manager Ryan Grigson and Mewhort himself on the second-year pro’s versatility and the differences between playing tackle and guard.