Colts To Sign DT Ricky Jean-Francois To A Staggering Four-Year, $22 Million Dollar Deal

Not long after yours truly got a text that the Colts were signing 49ers Ricky Jean-Francois, Adam Caplan tweeted out that the deal between Indy and the one-time San Fran back-up defensive tackle is four years, $22 million.

Four years. $22 million. For a guy who played 27% of the defensive snaps last season and has a career 33 tackles and 3 sacks.

Needless to say, the news of the signing, and the dollar amounts associated with it, was not received well on Twitter:

Haven't seen guaranteed $ yet, but APY wise that's insane money.Way too high for a guy who has never played in more than 27% of D snaps.

— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) March 14, 2013

Colts/Grigson get the benefit of the doubt but some of the $ figures on their signings are eye-raising to say the least.

— Will Brinson (@willbrinson) March 14, 2013

Not sure about the guaranteed money, but the $22M would be a little over $7M per sack (3) of Jean-Francois' career.

— Derek Schultz (@Schultz1260) March 14, 2013

Somebody take Irsay's pen away while there is still some money in the checking account.

— Michael Tanier (@MikeTanier) March 14, 2013

Oh Colts. Wow.

— BJ Kissel (@bkissel7) March 14, 2013

Please note that I think Jean-Francois looks like a solid player and I like him on the Colts roster. However, were other teams going to give him this kind of contract? Caplan reports that ten other teams were interested in Jean-Francois because he can play all three positions on a three-person d-line.

Still, theses contract figures are as puzzling as all the dough they are giving linebacker Erik Walden, another solid but ultimately unspectacular player.

Also adding to this is the silliness Jim Irsay is displaying on Twitter. Prior to the Jean-Francois signing hitting the twitterverse, Irsay sent this out:

We got another signing that we are FIRED UP ABOUT...ju$st about to ink deal,pen is in hand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GET READY TO BE ELATED!!!!!!

— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) March 14, 2013

To which, CBSSports.com writer Mike Freeman correctly followed up with:

Ricky Jean Francois is not worth all of those exclamation points, Jim.

— mike freeman (@realfreemancbs) March 14, 2013

Yes, our team's owner is insane, and he is overpaying for seemingly marginal talent upgrades. This is nothing against Jean-Francois, who is simply getting paid what he and his agent think they are worth.

But, man! Four years? $22 million? It makes me a little sick to my stomach.

Colts official notice of the signing is here.

[UPDATE]:

This is is making me sicker:

... for Jean Francois: four years, $22 million, $11 million in the first year. There's $8.5 million guaranteed; $6.5 fully guaranteed.

— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) March 14, 2013

He's worth $11 million this season.

Please tell me why this money wasn't used to sign someone like Cliff Avril?

[UPDATE 2]:

OK, I feel a little better:

Error on Ricky Jean Francois' contract numbers: He gets $11 million over the first TWO years; four-year deal is worth as much as $22 million

— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) March 14, 2013

He's getting $5.5 million this season, roughly. That's still a lot, but not $11 million in one year.