Dwayne Allen seems to have been the Colts' tight end target all along

For much of the first month or two of the offseason, one of the main discussion points for Colts fans was this: which tight end should they keep?  Both Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen were set to become free agents when the new league year began, and it was clear - general manager Ryan Grigson even admitted as much - that the Colts probably weren't going to be able to keep both around.

Should the Colts keep Fleener, the better receiving tight end, or should they keep Allen, the better overall and more balanced tight end.  It was a debate that finally found its answer this past week, when the Colts announced a new four-year deal for Allen worth $29.4 million.  A few days later, once free agency officially began, Fleener signed a five-year deal with the New Orleans Saints worth $36 million.  The Colts choose Allen, and it appears as if Allen was their choice all along.

On Friday, Fleener did a radio interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio and mentioned how the Colts really didn't seem to have much interest in re-signing him.  "The Colts' lack of interest and the Saints' interest made going to New Orleans an easy choice,'' Fleener said, according to CBS4's Mike Chappell.

Fleener, in other words, went somewhere where he is valued, which is the Saints, while that was a big reason Allen re-signed with the Colts too - he felt the team valued him and wanted him around.  The Colts clearly valued Allen more - so much so that they didn't even display a ton of interest in Fleener.

It really seems to have worked out well for both sides.  Dwayne Allen gets to stay in Indianapolis where he wanted with a brand new contract and where he will likely be used much more than he was last year, while Coby Fleener gets to play in New Orleans with Drew Brees, Sean Payton, and a Saints offense that knows how to use their tight ends.  Fleener admitted on Friday that there were other teams interested in him but that once the Saints jumped into the picture, it was a "no-brainer" because of Brees and how that offense uses the tight end.

Hopefully, the Colts are proven to have made the right decision, and hopefully it works out well for both tight ends moving forward.