INDIANAPOLIS -- With receiver T.Y. Hilton's new contract taken care of, the Indianapolis Colts have shifted their focus to getting a new deal done for starting left tackle Anthony Castonzo.
Castonzo, like Hilton, is a player the Colts want to sign to a long-term deal before the start of the regular season next month. Castonzo is heading into the final year of his rookie contract.
“I am not going to comment on active contract negotiations, but I will leave it at that,” Colts general manager Ryan Grigson said Tuesday.
Castonzo has started in 56 straight games, and his 1,090 offensive plays last season led all NFL players. He was the only Colts offensive lineman to start every game last season.
The left tackle is next in the group of young players the Colts will pay. There's also tight ends Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener, who are both headed into the final year of their contracts, and the giant payday will go to quarterback Andrew Luck, who will likely become the highest-paid player in the NFL when he gets his new contract.
“We have been preparing for these days for a long time, and I think we have been pretty vigilant and we have been on point about what we have to spend and what will hamstring us in the future,” Grigson said. “We pay close attention to our budgets.
“We don’t want to end up in a spot where we have to be in dire straits again. It’s just not worth it. In the long run, if you want to stay in success you can’t have those tremendous holes in terms of your cash or your cap.”
In case you missed it, here's the breakdown of Hilton’s new $65 million contract.
































