Coach Shane Steichen said Wednesday that Pittman (knee) "should be fine" after he left the practice field early, Mike Chappell of Fox 59 News Indianapolis reports. Steichen said Pittman "just bumped knees" during 11-on-11 drills. The Colts have no incentive to rush Pittman, who's fresh off signing a three-year, $70 million extension, back on the field, so it's possible he misses more of OTAs. Still, the No. 1 wideout ought to have plenty of opportunities to build chemistry with second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson this offseason, as long as his knee injury is indeed only minor. Pittman managed a 109-1152-4 receiving line across 16 games last season despite substandard QB play, so having a healthy Richardson back under center should raise his fantasy ceiling.
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Coach Shane Steichen said Wednesday that Pittman (knee) "should be fine" after he left the practice field early, Mike Chappell of Fox 59 News Indianapolis reports. Steichen said Pittman "just bumped knees" during 11-on-11 drills. The Colts have no incentive to rush Pittman, who's fresh off signing a three-year, $70 million extension, back on the field, so it's possible he misses more of OTAs. Still, the No. 1 wideout ought to have plenty of opportunities to build chemistry with second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson this offseason, as long as his knee injury is indeed only minor. Pittman managed a 109-1152-4 receiving line across 16 games last season despite substandard QB play, so having a healthy Richardson back under center should raise his fantasy ceiling.
Pittman (knee) departed Wednesday's practice early after appearing to injure his knee during a collision in 11-on-11 drills, James Boyd of The Athletic reports. Pittman was examined by trainers before limping off the field, and it seems safe to say that his on-field activities for Wednesday's session are over. It shouldn't be long until the Colts release an update about the No. 1 wideout's health, as he's entrenched as the focal point of the passing game after signing a three-year, $70 million contract earlier this offseason. In the meantime, Anthony Richardson will be able to focus on developing chemistry with Josh Downs, Adonai Mitchell and Alec Pierce.
Pittman has agreed to a three-year deal to remain with the Colts, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The team had previously placed its franchise tag on Pittman, but evidently since then the two sides have been working toward a long-term deal. Per Rapoport, the wideout's looming new contract can reach up to $71.5 million and includes $46 million guaranteed. The 26-year-old is coming off a 2023 regular season in which he posted a career-high 109-1,152-4 line on 156 targets in 16 games. With Pittman staying in the fold in 2024 and beyond, the Colts have secured valuable stability at the wide receiver position, a context that no doubt will benefit the development of young franchise QB Anthony Richardson (shoulder).
Indianapolis have placed the franchise tag on Pittman ahead of Tuesday's 4:00 p.m. ET deadline, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. General manager Chris Ballard made clear earlier this offseason that Pittman wouldn't go anywhere, and the franchise tag positions him to play out the 2024 campaign on a fully guaranteed one-year, $21.87 million contract if no long-term alternative is agreed upon. The Colts and Pittman will have until mid-July to continue negotiating a multi-year extension, and the team may well be viewing the franchise tag as a bridge to continue talks. For 2024, at the very least, Pittman's presence will provide young franchise quarterback Anthony Richardson (shoulder) with some stability and a reliable No. 1 target in the receiving game, even if Indianapolis doesn't significantly upgrade its pass-catching corps. Pittman compiled a career-best 109-1,152-4 receiving line on 156 targets in 2023, and his fantasy prospects could improve for 2024 with the promise of flashier quarterback play for a full season.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Wednesday that Pittman will be on the team's roster for the upcoming season, whether via contract extension or the franchise tag, Nate Atkins of The Indianapolis Star reports. Pittman is approaching free agency for the first time in his NFL career, but the Colts aren't planning on giving him a chance to explore the open market. Indianapolis has until March 5 to decide whether to place the franchise tag on Pittman, which would result in him taking home a salary of approximately $21.8 million for 2024. However, the team seemingly prefers to work out a longer-term extension with Pittman, provided the two sides can come to an agreement. The Colts haven't used the franchise tag since 2013, and Pittman himself has said he would prefer a multi-year contract, per Stephen Holder of ESPN.com.
Pittman led the Colts in receptions and receiving yards while tying for the team lead in targets. The sure-handed wideout's yardage total was his second highest of the season and marked his second time eclipsing the 100-yard mark on the campaign. The 26-year-old has no fewer than eight catches in four consecutive contests going into a Week 13 road matchup against the Titans.
As the score indicates, neither offense had much success getting the ball into the end zone, but Pittman still had a productive day. He accounted for two of the Colts' seven longest plays from scrimmage with receptions of 14 and 13 yards, helping him to his highest yardage total since Week 6. Pittman now has eight catches in three consecutive games and should remain Gardner Minshew's top target coming out of the Colts' Week 11 bye.
The Colts never trailed in the game and led 20-3 at halftime, so there was little need for Gardner Minshew to air it out, but Pittman was his top option on the day and paced Indianapolis in catches, targets and receiving yards. Per Nate Atkins of The Indianapolis Star, Pittman exited the game in the second quarter to be checked for a concussion but quickly returned. The fourth-year wideout has caught at least eight passes in three of the last four games and six of nine on the season, putting him on track for the first campaign of his career with triple-digit receptions. Pittman should be productive again in Week 10 against a Patriots secondary that just gave up a combined 9-142-1 line on 15 targets to the Washington duo of Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson.
Pittman was in the familiar position of leading the Colts in receptions and targets, although his five yards per catch qualified as a season-low figure. Pittman also recorded his second touchdown in as many games when he found the end zone from 10 yards out in the first quarter, and he's now logged double-digit targets on five occasions thus far. Pittman should remain similarly busy in a Week 9 road battle against the Panthers.