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It seems free agent running back Ahmad Bradshaw has left Indianapolis without signing a contract with the Colts. After getting the special 'we're gonna sign him' treatment from the team's website and Twitter account late last week when Bradshaw visited, contract talks between Bradshaw and the Colts stalled.
The reason: MONEY!
Of course, it's always the money.
Folks on Twitter pointed me to some people who spotted Bradshaw attending his daughter recital on Friday, which did NOT take place in Indianapolis. Certainly, there is no judgment on our part regarding Bradshaw choosing to leave Indy to attend the event. In fact, it just makes us like him even more.
Regarding whether or not he'll sign with the Colts... we don't know.
What you lovely readers should not do (in our humble opinion) is read too much into why Bradshaw isn't signing with Indy. Please, leave that kind of nonsense to professional worriers like me. What it seems like is that Bradshaw is looking for the Colts to up their offer, or for another team to jump in and offer something competitive. It's likely not too much different from when Indianapolis courted (and eventually inked) wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey.
Heyward-Bey visited Indianapolis on March 25th, but left without a contract. The next day he was in Detroit, getting wooed by the Lions. However, after both visits, Heyward-Bey ended up coming back to Indianapolis and signing April 1st.
If we want to use Heyward-Bey's courtship as a guide, then it's possible that Bradshaw could get inked by Thursday of this week. Ideally, one would think the Colts want Bradshaw signed in time for the mandatory minicamp, which runs from Tuesday-Thursday of this week. However, it's possible that Bradshaw doesn't want to participate in the camp, and would rather sign when it ends.
If you care for my thoughts on this, I think Bradshaw will sign with Indianapolis. It makes too much sense not to. He'd immediately get elevated to the role of starter at running back over second-year player Vick Ballard, and because of Ballard's presence on the roster, Bradshaw would not need to shoulder the bulk load of carries. Bradshaw is coming off another season where he struggled to overcome injuries. Like Ballard, he is not a 20-carry-a-game back. However, he is extremely good when he splits his time with another quality back.
The other team that has expressed interest in Bradshaw is the Pittsburgh Steelers.