Dwayne Allen wants to re-sign with Colts; agent has had discussions with team

We're one week away from the start of free agency, and that means that the Colts and other teams will spend this week negotiating with their own free agents trying to keep them around.  One such player for the Colts is tight end Dwayne Allen, and he joined JMV on 1070 the Fan last week at the NFL Combine to talk about his contract situation.

Allen confirmed that his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has been in discussions with the Colts about another contract, but Allen said he wasn't sure how those discussions were going.  He was clear, however, that he doesn't even want to reach free agency, as he'd rather re-sign with the Colts before he even hits the open market.  "Hopefully we don't get to that point," Allen said.  "Hopefully something gets done before then."

He added that he's excited about the possibility of re-signing with the Colts and continuing to work toward the Super Bowl with the team, and he added that the team knows where he stands and that his gut feeling is that he'll be back.

"I'm confident that the Colts know that I want to be here," Allen said, "and they know what I offer to this team and put in what I offer to the community and the organization, because I do that out of the goodness of my heart, that has nothing to do with football.  But they know that I love this city, I love this organization, and I want to be here.  But it's a business, and they have to make the best business decision just like I do.  But it's in my gut - in my gut - I'm here."

Of course, it's far from certain, as Allen has not yet reached a deal to re-sign with the Colts.  He's letting Rosenhaus handle those negotiations, and he explained his reasoning for hiring Rosenhaus this offseason.  He wanted someone capable of getting this message across to teams: "One season [2015] does not define my career of work, and I am an elite tight end in the National Football League, which my film shows, and Drew is doing a great job of communicating that to clubs."

Allen clearly wasn't thrilled with how he was used in 2015, as he once again joked about how his 29 targets must have been including throwaways because it couldn't have been that high.  He didn't seem to hold it against the team or the coaching staff, however, as he noted that it was simply the result of circumstance.  The Colts needed someone to block, and they knew Allen could do it so they had him block.

It was obvious from the interview that Allen really does want to return to the Colts, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll take an unfair deal to return.  It does mean, however, that he would like to re-sign if the deal is right, and he'd prefer it to come before the free agency period even begins.  I'm sure many Colts fans are hoping for the same thing.