Although two years remain on Kenny Moore‘s contract, the Colts have engaged in discussions with their disgruntled slot standout. Those conversations have not moved the needle.
Moore and the Colts have not made much progress on a resolution, Joel Erickson of the Indianapolis Star notes. Indianapolis’ front office has continued to communicate with Moore, with the sides having understandably differing viewpoints on this situation.
Named to the Pro Bowl following a season in which he played a career-high 97% of the Colts’ defensive snaps, Moore believes he has outplayed his current contract — a four-year, $33.3MM deal that represented a high-water mark for slot corners at the time of signing (2019). Moore, 26, has operated as one of the NFL’s best slot defenders since, but in playing 1,063 snaps, the former UDFA played outside as well and logged more defensive snaps than any Colt defender save for Bobby Okereke last season.
The Colts believe this was a fair contract, Erickson adds. By paying Moore early, the Colts both authorized a lucrative deal that replaced his league-minimum pact and gave him an opportunity to enter a contract year ahead of his age-28 season. However, the team gave Stephon Gilmore a two-year, $20MM pact this offseason. Moore’s AAV now sits 27th among corners.
The Division II product showed for the first week of Colts OTAs but stayed away last week. He reported to the team’s facility for this week’s minicamp, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, though it is not known if on-field participation is in the cards. The Colts are transitioning to a new defensive scheme, under DC Gus Bradley, and Moore should again be expected to play an every-down role.
Moore’s deal remains atop the salary hierarchy among pure slot corners, narrowly outflanking Taron Johnson‘s 2021 Bills extension. A broader argument can be made that slot defenders are underpaid, given the value and versatility the top-tier inside cover men provide. Moore’s camp may be making that case, but with two years left on his deal, the Colts will not give in easily.
A compromise could be reached, however. The Broncos gave Chris Harris an incentive package in the penultimate year of his second contract (2018) and handed the All-Decade slot corner a true raise in the final year of his deal. One of these solutions could be salvageable for Moore, who would only be 28 as a free agent in 2024. It will be interesting to see if the Colts hold the line here, refusing to do an extension until 2023, and if Moore would consider a hold-in measure absent a true extension by training camp.
According to pro football reference he’s given up 11 TDs in the last 2 years and over a 70% completion rate all but 1 year. Why extend?
PFF has him at 9 TDs over the last two years. And 8 interceptions, the most of any slot corner. 15th in passes defensed of any defender last year, too.
Then split the difference with 10 TDs in 2 seasons which is 2 points per game over a 17 game season. QBs aren’t scared to throw into his coverage. I’d save my money for someone else.
I hope the man gets his extension though, all the luck to him this season to get him there.
That points per game math is pretty fuzzy, aside from not being a meaningful metric. And of course he was targeted a lot. He’s a slot corner. He also played the fifth most snaps of any corner last year.
If you’d rather spend the money elsewhere, I get it, but he’s one of the very best slot corners in the league.
If you give up 5 TDs each year, assume the XP is good that’s 35 points in a year divide by 17 games played and you arrive at a shade over 2 points.
Not a reliable metric of course not because when he gives up one if his TDs it’ll be for at least 6 if not 7 or 8 and obviously not 2. It’s just to be used to highlight a different method to outline his points given up.
On that note here is another, on the 2021 team those 35 points account for just under 10% of the points given up by the defense last year.
Just sounds like a lot of liability to me.