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Here's what soon-to-be Colts free agent corner Vontae Davis tweeted out yesterday afternoon:
Less Than 24 hours!!!!!!!!!
— Vontae Davis (@VontaeDavis23) March 7, 2014
The reason he's so giddy is that today, March 8th, at 12:00 p.m. ET teams can begin negotiating with free agents that aren't their own. This means a team like the 49ers can start talking money with Davis, or any other free agent that looks to hit the open market on March 11th.
It also means the kicker Adam Vinatieri, safety Antoine Bethea, and running back Donald Brown can officially engage in the wooing process with other suitors.
For the Colts, they've already signed linebacker D'Qwell Jackson (who was released by the Browns in February) and locked-up punter Pat McAfee. Indianapolis can also begin to negotiate with other free agents, like, perhaps, Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker. WCNC-TV's Vic Lombardi reported that both sides have mutual interest. We shall see if that interest results in a contract.
The biggest needs heading into free agency are wide receiver, center, safety, and, perhaps, corner. The Colts still have roughly $40 million in cap space to work with. They'd have even more if they'd cut loose of players like Greg Toler, Ricky Jean Francois, and Matt Hasselbeck, but the odds now suggest that they won't.