Why The Colts Won't Make A Trade For A Wide Receiver

You know, when I'm alone in mom's basement, one of my favorite things to do - other than play Sonic 2 on my old Sega Genesis and drink Red Bull and vodka from a Dixie cup - is to argue with myself.

Some of my best self-arguments revolve around sports, specifically the Indianapolis Colts. So, instead of confining these internal conflicts to just to myself and the four walls that stare back at me down here, I thought I'd share some of them with all of you!

Our first argument is why the Colts will NOT make a trade for a wide receiver now that Reggie Wayne is done for the 2013 season.

REASON NO. 1: There's no one to trade for

The hot names everyone keeps tossing around are Josh Gordon of the Browns and Hakeem Nicks of the Giants. Both seem unlikely for a variety of reasons.

For Gordon, he plays for Cleveland, a team Indianapolis has already made two trades with this year, including one that involved the Colts sending their first round pick in exchange for running back Trent Richardson. The other was a fourth round pick in 2014 for a pick in 2013 that would eventually be defensive end Montori Hughes. If the Browns want to ship Gordon, my assumption is they'll at least want a second round pick.

This would mean that virtually all of Indianapolis' meaningful selections in the 2014 NFL Draft would belong to Cleveland. Look, I'm all for this "win now" mindset, but giving up an entire draft might be too much. That said, of all the wide receivers in play, Gordon is the one I feel is most worth giving up a high pick for.

Regarding Nicks, he is in the final year of his rookie contract, and is looking for a massive payday this offseason. Unless the Colts plan to sign him long term, there is no point in trading for Nicks. At 6'1, 208 lbs., Nicks is ideally suited to replace Wayne. However, he hasn't played well this season, and as Chris Wesseling of NFL.com recently pointed out, lower leg injuries have robbed him of his play-making ability.

Plus, without a long-term deal, do you honestly think Hakeem Nicks will go balls out for the Colts? Me neither.

REASON NO. 2: The Colts don't have much to trade with

As previously mentioned, the Colts' only chips to trade are their second and third round picks in 2014. Either one could land a premier talent. A third rounder alone could probably get Greg Little away from Cleveland, but I'd call that trade a big "WIN" for the Browns seeing as Little has done... well, little for them.

Indianapolis could entertain the notion of trading back-up quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to a team like the Rams, who just lost their starting quarterback, Sam Bradford, to an ACL injury. The Rams are so desperate at the QB position they tried to kick the tires o a 40-year-old Brett Favre. Jeff Fisher's run-heavy team would be well-suited for Hasselbeck.

However, the problem with the Rams is their receivers kind of suck, and aren't worth trading for.

REASON NO. 3: Salary cap

To date, the Colts have $1.3 million in cap space, according to the NFLPA's website. Taking on another player's contract would mean that Indy would probably need to send a player currently on the roster to their trading partner. Josh Gordon's current cap hit for the Browns is $1.1 million, according to Spotrac. Absorbing that number, or even half that number, would put the Colts in a dicey position cap-wise.

Nicks' cap hit for the Giants this year is $3.7 million. Unless there is something in Nick's contract that says the Giants eat a large portion of his cap after he's traded, it's unlikely we'll see Nicks in a Colts uniform.

SUMMATION

The loss of Reggie Wayne was devastating, and if the Colts want to truly contend in 2013, they will need someone to replace his productivity. However, if general manager Ryan Grigson is intent on trading for Wayne's replacement, he'll have to get creative. There just aren't many quality, cheap players who a team can just pick-up mid-season and expect to contribute at an elite level.

Since the prospects are slim in terms of finding ideal WR talent that won't destroy Indianapolis' cap, a trade is unlikely.

So, that's the argument against trading. The argument FOR making a trade is here.