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8 pending free agents the Colts should re-sign

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8 pending free agents the Colts should re-sign


The Indianapolis Colts have plenty of decisions to make with the 2024 offseason officially arriving, and that includes what to do with the crop of players set to hit free agency.

Working with roughly $58.9 million in salary-cap space, according to Over The Cap, the Colts will have enough money to re-sign a number of pending free agents before they hit the market in the middle of March.

Here’s a look at eight pending free agents the Colts should look to re-sign this offseason:

(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

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The top priority for the Colts during the early part of the offseason is re-signing Pittman to an extension. Though he said he’d be willing to play under the franchise tag if it meant getting an extension done, the Colts should be looking to lock up their No. 1 wideout to a long-term deal. Pittman has been nothing but productive despite a carousel at the quarterback position, and he’s proven he can thrive in a leadership role. This one is a no-brainer.

(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

It will be interesting to see what happens with Moore. The Colts should look to re-sign the versatile slot defender after he bounced back in a major way during the 2023 campaign. Moore returned to his Pro Bowl caliber form in the second year under Gus Bradley and even though there is promise with Julius Brents and Jaylon Jones, it’s Moore who has been the leader in the secondary over the last few seasons.

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(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

In theory, players missing six games due to a suspension likely hurt their stock in a contract year. The opposite could not be truer for Stewart. While the suspension was disappointing, we got a glimpse of what the run defense looked like for six consecutive games without Stewart. The performance of the unit was so poor that Stewart may actually have gained leverage during his absence. Stewart is right in the prime of his career as a defensive tackle, and he’s adding more juice as a pass rusher as well.

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(Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

Few players have earned the type of respect that Lewis has. Despite suffering season-ending knee injuries halfway through the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Lewis came back in 2023 to post a career year. It’s unlikely he will sign for the $2.1 million he did last offseason but as long as the money isn’t outlandish, Lewis should be retained as a crucial depth piece.

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(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

This should be another interesting case. Moss formed a solid 1-2 punch with starter Jonathan Taylor, and he deserves his flowers for the production he posted early in the 2023 season. Though that production tailed off with Gardner Minshew under center, Moss proved he can be a solid change-of-pace back. The Colts should look to re-sign him as long as it’s not for borderline starter money.

Syndication: The Indianapolis Star

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Sanchez is a free agent for the first time in his career. Despite coming off an Achilles injury that claimed his entire 2022 season, Sanchez averaged a career-high 48.3 yards per punt attempt during the 2023 campaign. He also downed 21-of-68 punts inside the 20-yard line, marking the fifth time in six seasons he’s surpassed the 20 mark.

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The Colts should re-sign Minshew only if it’s for backup money. There’s a chance he will hit the market looking for borderline starter money after holding that role for the majority of the 2023 campaign. Minshew is a solid backup option and a fantastic locker room presence. He understands the nuances of Shane Steichen’s offense, and he’s a solid mentor for Anthony Richardson. But the NFL is a business, and it’s probably unwise for the Colts to overspend on an insurance policy even if it comes at the game’s most important position.

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This is one of the tougher decisions the Colts have to make this offseason. The talent with Blackmon is clearly there as he thrived as the strong safety in Gus Bradley’s defense. However, Blackmon continued to deal with injuries, which has been an underlying storyline throughout his career. If a deal can get done around the $6-8 million mark, then the Colts should jump on that while still adding to the room via free agency or the 2024 NFL draft.

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Indianapolis, IN

Crash on Indy’s East Side Kills a Man

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Crash on Indy’s East Side Kills a Man


Source: FOX 59

INDIANAPOLIS — A man is dead after being struck by a vehicle on the city’s east side early Monday morning, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

IMPD officers responded to a report of a personal injury crash around 6 a.m. on North Shadeland Avenue, near 38th Street and Pendleton Pike. That’s where another crash happened after the first.

Investigators say a man was standing outside of his vehicle. He was struck and critically injured.

Medics took him to a hospital, where he later died. Police confirmed that two other drivers stayed at the scene and are cooperating with the investigation.

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Rolling Deep With Some Of Indy’s Local Motorcycle Clubs

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Rolling Deep With Some Of Indy’s Local Motorcycle Clubs


Photo by Emily Danielle Jones

Capturing The Feeling

Our photographer, known by many as Pink Bike Mike, shares how he ended up cruising around town on a pink chopper, camera bag strapped to his back.

When I was in second grade, my friend’s mom gave me the nickname “Michael Michael Motorcycle.” She thought she was teaching us how to balance a checkbook, not realizing she was manifesting my destiny instead.

But it wasn’t until eight years ago that my friend Scooter taught me how to ride on his 2002 Honda Shadow Spirit 750cc. We both dropped the bike that summer, putting matching dents on either side of the gas tank. A year later, I bought the Shadow and fully entered a new chapter of my life.

Three years ago, I became a “chopper guy,” earning a reputation for my hot pink 2004 Harley Davidson Sportster Custom chopper. Oil leaks, loose screws, the backbreaking feeling of hitting every small bump in the road, and old men constantly asking, “But why’s it pink?” became a personality statement.

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Film photography and motorcycles go better together than prom king and queen. They hark back to a time when you tinkered with the equations and used your hands to determine the results. Plain and simple, they are a vintage lifestyle.

The biggest story in these photographs is the strength of the riding community. Sure, we rag on each other—sport bikes versus cruisers, vintage versus brand-new, carbureted versus fuel injection, Harley Davidson versus … everyone else—but at the end of the day, we are all just little kids cruising the neighborhood showing off our bikes.

MMCI members Jack Fowler, Wil Baldwin, and Baldwin’s husband Dickie Smith relax outside of English Ivy’s. Smith grew up on a farm in Georgia and has ridden all his life, but Baldwin was afraid to join at first. Their kids and grandkids “think it’s pretty cool.” Photo by Michael Schrader
317 Ryders member Richard Hammond, aka Rich Dollaz, shows off his patches, which help identify riders and their accomplishments, affiliations with organizations and businesses, and contributions to their club. Photo by Michael Schrader

Bike Night

Originally founded in Erie, Pennsylvania, in 2002, high-performance motorcycle parts manufacturer Horsepower Inc. has called Gasoline Alley in Indy home since 2012. Every year around the Indianapolis 500, HPi hosts a bike night with hundreds of attendees from around the world. What started out in 2018 as a small gathering among friends and customers, with some Sam’s Club hot dogs on the grill and a few bottles of beer or Londo’s Flameade, has turned into a much-anticipated yearly event featuring vendors, food trucks, DJs, and stunt crews including Jeff (C-Bear), CJ and the Concrete Cowboys, Junkyard Kenny, and the EastCoastin’ Crew.

Photo by Michael Schrader
Marco Velazquez, aka Vato, and $hady G, business manager, talk outside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 317 Ryders is heavily focused on philanthropy and runs its own nonprofit foundation. Photo by Michael Schrader
Nikki Wilson, aka HotShot, the 317 Ryders’ public relations officer, has been a member for 16 years. She never thought she’d ride a motorcycle but says riding is her way to “leave it all in the wind.” Photo by Michael Schrader
Current MMCI president Mark Saalmuller (front), partner Jack Fowler (back), and their stylish yellow rubber duck ride a higher-end Honda Gold Wing, “the ultimate touring bike.” MMCI doesn’t strongly restrict the type of bike its members ride, prioritizing camaraderie and inclusivity. Photo by Michael Schrader
During Covid, Courtney Rice intended to buy a camper but bought a motorcycle instead. He fell in love with the color of his neon-green Can-Am Spyder. It’s extra safe when he takes it on the famous Tail of the Dragon—318 switchback turns on 11 miles of mountain road on the Tennessee/North Carolina border. Photo by Michael Schrader
John Eichhorn, Jeff Parrish, and Tim Arndt shoot the breeze at a Ton Up meetup at Kismetic Beer Company. Ton Up is known for its members’ love of vintage bikes. Photo by Michael Schrader
Jason Lamar bought his 1985 BMW K100 C, the first fuel-injected bike made by BMW, in the classifieds 22 years ago. One of the fastest stock bikes in the U.S. in the mid-’80s, it soon became a banned bike when the government ordered the model to be detuned. Photo by Michael Schrader





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Mortgage expert warns of rising home prices while interest rates lower

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Mortgage expert warns of rising home prices while interest rates lower


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Mortgage expert Tom Hlava joined WISH-TV Sunday morning to talk about today’s market and what it means for home buyers, sellers, and homeowners.

Hlava told News 8’s Stacey Schooler that the Federal Reserve does not change mortgage rates. They change the federal funds rate, which he says is more closely tied to car loans and credit cards.

Hlava says that if we wait until the mortgage rate drops, there will be many more buyers and prices will rise even further.

“Should I wait until the Colts are just about ready to go to the Super Bowl to buy tickets to a game? Probably not, because by then it’s a little bit too late. The market has gone way up. I think it’s pretty much the same way with interest rates”.

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The new average home price in Indianapolis for a two- to three-bedroom house is $250,00 to $300,000.

“When I started in the mortgage business many, many years ago, rates were 13% and 14%. But houses were, like you said,

$ 70,000- $ 80,000. We don’t have those houses. Now it’s a half million dollars”.

Hlava added that there is a program for the families of first responders and a duty death program that will erase the loan for that first responder’s family.

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