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Yesterday the Indianapolis Colts had defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, the best remaining unsigned free agent available, in for a visit. But don’t get your hopes up quite yet about a signing.
According to the Indianapolis Star’s Stephen Holder, Hankins left Indy without a deal and a signing doesn’t seem to be likely.
But while that window hasn’t completely closed, it does not appear Hankins is destined to don the horseshoe.
Hankins left Indianapolis without agreeing to a contract, and an NFL source with knowledge of the situation said a deal with Hankins does not appear likely.
This report will probably disappoint many Colts fans, but it should be pointed out that there’s a reason why Hankins is still available a month into the free agent process. For a 25-year old who is a very good player to still be available means that he likely hasn’t gotten the money he’s looking for yet. He reportedly has a standing multi-year offer from the Giants but is reportedly looking for a deal worth around $10 million per year, and it doesn’t sound like he found that type of offer from the Colts.
Hankins is a very good player who is just entering his prime, and he would be a great addition for the Colts up front along their defensive line. He can be a force, especially against the run, and that’s something the Colts could use. But Chris Ballard doesn’t seem to want overpay from his valuation of free agents, and we’ve seen other defensive tackles in this free agent market get lesser deals than they might have been expected to as well. So Hankins could have a decision to make, as the start of offseason workouts are quickly approaching (and have already begun for some teams) and he’s still unsigned.
Either way, it doesn’t sound like a deal with the Colts is looking too likely right now. He’s left Indianapolis without a deal, and while the visit obviously means that there’s some level of mutual interest, my guess is that Hankins once again didn’t find the money he’s looking for.