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According to the Indy Star’s Joel Erickson, the contract figures for new Indianapolis Colts’ left tackle Eric Fisher’s recently signed deal have now been revealed:
Eric Fisher contract:
— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) May 25, 2021
2021
Base: $2M
Signing Bonus: $4M
Per-game roster bonus: $2.38M total
Bonus: $250K likely to be earned, $750K not likely to be earned.
Cap number: $6.49M
2022 automatically voids next year.
Total guarantee: $6M
Fisher recently signed a 1-year, $9.4 million contract with Indianapolis—although the actual cap hit number for 2021 appears to be a little lower than that amount at $6.49M (and for all essential purposes, is still a one-year deal).
Currently, OverTheCap projects the Colts to have roughly $14.76M of available cap space following Fisher’s freshly-inked deal.
For what it’s worth, that’s still enough for the Colts to make ‘some moves’—if actually desired, but it is less than say the $15.3M cap hit needed to initially acquire recently made available Atlanta Falcons star wideout Julio Jones and absorb his contract outright.
That doesn’t mean that the Colts couldn’t get ‘creative’ in some corresponding contract maneuvers to free up some additional cap space for Jones. However, it’s just something to consider, along with any surrendered high draft capital (and his age and durability concerns), in any potential blockbuster trade for Jones.
As it stands, the Colts have signed a 2x Pro Bowl left tackle and the former #1 overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft, who at 30 years old, has made 113 career starts—predominantly at left tackle aside from his rookie season.
While there are questions regarding Fisher’s initial availability on the football field and whether he can make a full recovery from a torn Achilles suffered late last season, with just a $6.49M cap hit, his signing appears to be a worthwhile calculated gamble for the Colts.
With longtime veteran Anthony Castonzo slated to have a $16M cap hit for 2021—before electing for retirement earlier this offseason, the Colts could theoretically have a potentially younger and cheaper option at starting left tackle this upcoming season—with maybe similar production along the blindside (or at least, that’s the underlying hope).
The franchise may just have to wait a few games to get Fisher fully back into the fold—and specifically, cleared for football activities. However, the initial contract details make it seem like a prudent low-risk, high upside signing for the Colts—especially given the other limited available starting left tackle options following the 2021 NFL Draft.