This week, T.Y. Hilton told reporters that he wants to remain with the Colts “for life”. Hilton also indicated that the team has engaged in talks with his representatives. That’s all true, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter), though he hears that the Colts have not yet “dug in” on negotiations with the wide receiver. The talks, so far, have been preliminary, and there’s no exact timetable for when things might pick up. 

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There’s one year left on Hilton’s deal, set to count for $14.5MM against Indy’s salary cap. Colts GM Chris Ballard, ideally, would like to nudge that number down with a reworked deal. Hilton would probably be willing to accommodate, provided that he gets an extension with some guaranteed dollars. That deal, Hilton says, will be his last in the NFL, regardless of length.

Drafted in the third round of the 2012 draft, Hilton was a difference-maker right from the get-go. In Year One, Hilton showed he was a serious deep threat with 861 yards off of just 50 catches, good for 17.2 yards per grab. Things only got bigger and better from there. Over the course of the next seven years, Hilton tallied more than 8,000 yards, 500 catches for exactly 40 touchdowns and an average of 16.0 yards per catch. That, of course, was during his healthy seasons. Last year, Hilton’s calf capped him at just ten games – he finished with 45 catches, 501 yards, five scores, and perhaps a few questions as to whether he can still be the same player moving forward.

“I think [playing with Philip Rivers] will be special,” said Hilton, shrugging off any concerns (via NFL.com). “I think the way I’m training, the way my body feels, and Philip doing his thing. I feel like it’ll be an All-Pro year for me.”

Those who have watched Hilton’s work over the years tend to agree – he deserves one final payday with the Colts. Nat Newell of the Indy Star laid out a compelling case for the wide receiver this week, though he noted a key stat going against Hilton. Over the past two decades, Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Smith, Reggie Wayne, Anquan Boldin, and Hines Ward have been the only players to top 1,000 yards after their age-32 season. Hilton turns 31 in November, so the Colts might not be willing to give him WR1 money beyond 2021.

On Wednesday, wide receiver T.Y. Hilton told reporters that he wants to “be a Colt for life,” (Twitter link via Zak Keefer of The Athletic). Still, as Hilton noted, it takes “two sides to get it done” and he has one non-guaranteed year left on his deal.

Hilton, who turns 31 in November, inked a five-year, $65MM extension with the Colts in 2015. It’s a sizable sum for sure, but the deal was estimated to have just $11MM in full guarantees at signing, plus another $28MM guaranteed for injury only (h/t Over The Cap). For now, Hilton is set to count for a $14.54MM cap hit in 2020, but the Colts could release or trade him without any fiscal penalty, if they wanted to.

Last year, a nagging calf injury limited Hilton to just ten games. He finished out the year with 45 catches for 501 yards – well below his usual production. Before 2019, he averaged 16 yards per catch with per-season averages of 72 catches, 1,157 yards, and ~6 touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Hilton says his next contract will be his last one. Whether he signs on for two years, three years, or four, “that’ll be it” for the veteran. “It’s up to Mr. Irsay and [GM] Chris [Ballard]. I wanna be here,” Hilton said (Twitter link). Hilton added that the two sides were in talks before the pandemic, so it stands to reason that they’ll get back in touch this summer. While he waits to hear from Mr. Irsay and Mr. Ballard, Hilton says he’s working out and preparing for a healthy season in the fall.

“I kind of let my teammates down last year being hurt, being injured, things you really can’t control,” Hilton said (via Mike Wells of ESPN.com). “It’s not like you’re playing Madden (on video games) and cutting injuries off. …I’m working out twice a day, so I don’t let my teammates down. My motivation is to getting back to where I was, and that’s getting back on top of the game.”

The Colts will be without T.Y. Hilton against the Titans due to a setback with his calf injury, GM Chris Ballard announced on Thursday. It’s a bad blow to the Colts, who are pushing for a playoff spot in the Week 13 home matchup.

Hilton is now considered week-to-week. He first suffered the calf injury during practice on Oct. 30, which cost him games against the Steelers, Dolphins, and Jaguars. Head coach Frank Reich said that Hilton did not aggravate the injury in his limited snaps against the Texans last Thursday night, but something went wrong for the star wide receiver between then and now.

Without Hilton, the Colts will rely on Zach Pascal, Chester Rogers, Marcus Johnson, and Ashton Dulin. Meanwhile, fingers are crossed for the return of rookie Parris Campbell, who has missed the last two games with a fractured right hand. If Campbell can’t go, wide receiver Chad Williams could be a candidate for promotion.

At 6-5, the Colts have a 35% chance of making the playoffs, according to FiveThirtyEight. Those odds will dip significantly if they can’t beat their AFC South rivals this week. Meanwhile, they’ll be paying close attention to the Texans, who are in the divisional driver’s seat, as they take on the Patriots.

Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton will likely miss 3-4 weeks of action, head coach Frank Reich announced. With that, Hilton has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Steelers. 

It’s a bad blow for the Colts, who are 5-2 and aiming to build off of a three-game winning streak. Hilton has been playing through pain for most of the season. He’s already missed two games this year due to a quadriceps injury and other trouble. Now, he has a new issue to deal with – a calf injury, suffered in practice on Wednesday. The team has yet to nail down Hilton’s timetable, but Reich noted that Hilton’s injury “generally” calls for 3-4 weeks of rest and rehab.

Hilton, 30 in November, has 32 catches for 360 yards and five touchdowns in his six games this year. That’s a far cry from his best work, including a 2018 season in which he had 76 grabs for 1,270 yards and six scores. Worth noting: Hilton missed two regular season games last year and the Colts lost both contests.

The timing of the injury is especially unfortunate since the trade deadline was on Tuesday. The Colts’ options to replace Hilton, at this juncture, are somewhat limited. It seems likely that they’ll put in a waiver claim for Josh Gordon, but their 5-2 record means they’re unlikely to snag him.

Hilton, a former third-round pick, is under contract through 2020 thanks to the five-year, $65MM extension he signed with the club in 2015. He’s due $14.5MM in base salary next year, but the Colts would not be left with any dead money if they choose to release him.