INDIANAPOLIS — DeForest Buckner was fed up, ready to jump ship after the Colts’ abysmal 2022 season. A 4-12-1 record, which landed them the No. 4 pick in this month’s NFL draft, was too much.
Too much to forget.
Too much to forgive.
Too much to return to West 56th Street for a chance to try again.
Or, at least that’s what Twitter said.
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“I woke up, actually, one morning and had two different guys from different teams text me like, ‘Hey, man, is it true? You can come over here and play with me,'” Buckner said Wednesday, laughing. “I was like, ‘Man, what’s going on right now?’ And I checked Twitter and I’m like, ‘Wow.’ I guess I was trending a little bit, but I thought it was funny.”
Shane Steichen takes over, quiets any lingering Lamar Jackson rumors and dishes on what he's looking for in a rookie QB.
As for 2022, the Colts are ready to turn the page: https://t.co/NmsGtXdPVu
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) April 13, 2023
Buckner doused the rumor flames by tweeting a scene from the movie “The Wolf of Wall Street,” in which the main character, Jordan Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), told his coworkers, “I’m not f—ing leaving! The show goes on!”
Buckner was dominant last year, recording a career-high 74 tackles, eight sacks and two forced fumbles all while playing with a torn UCL in his left elbow. No one would’ve blamed him if he had asked for a trade like cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who was shipped off to the Cowboys in exchange for a fifth-round pick.
“If I was in his position, maybe I would’ve considered the same thing,” Buckner said. “Everybody has their way and where they want to go, trying to win and stuff like that. … I wish him nothing but the best. That’s the best decision that he made for him and his family and I’m all for it.”
Their situations are different, though, Buckner pointed out. Gilmore is 32 and preparing for his 12th season while Buckner is 29 and entering his eighth campaign. He has more time, but it’s still not enough to endorse a rebuild. “I hate that word,” he uttered. Regardless of what it’s exactly called, the Colts are poised for a new era and it will likely be a bumpy ride with presumably a rookie quarterback on the way. Buckner, who has two years and $40 million left on his contract, intends to stick around for it, as does Michael Pittman Jr.
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Unlike Buckner, however, the Colts’ top wideout hasn’t received a big payday yet. That could change soon as he gears up for the final season of his four-year rookie contract. Pittman is eligible for an extension, as well as running back Jonathan Taylor, and negotiations are ongoing.
“If it doesn’t happen this year, that’s no big deal. It’ll happen eventually, right?” Pittman said. “I just kind of let that business side … just leave that to my agent because that’s what I pay him to do. You don’t really want it to be muddied up. … From guys that I’ve talked to, it can get ugly if you’re in those meetings and stuff like that. So, I don’t want anything to do with those. I just want to play.”
Pittman notched a career-high 99 catches last season but failed to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards. The 25-year-old finished with 925 yards and four touchdowns, mainly because of the team’s inconsistent quarterback play between Matt Ryan, Sam Ehlinger and Nick Foles. Pittman has had five signal callers through his first three seasons, including Philip Rivers in 2020 and Carson Wentz in 2021.
Whether he is a true No. 1 receiver is hard to gauge given the circumstances, but according to Spotrac, Pittman’s production at this point in his career is on par with where Brandin Cooks, Robbie Anderson, Terry McLaurin and Christian Kirk were when they landed new deals. Pittman’s market value, per Spotrac, is a four-year contract worth $73.6 million ($18.4 million per year).
“I’d say I have more motivation from the fact I’m going to have my son soon,” Pittman said, asked if entering a contract season brings extra motivation. “So, I’m gonna have my second (child) hopefully in the next month and a half, so that is more motivating than any (contract) number.”
Of course, the Colts’ main priority this offseason remains crystal clear: End the quarterback odyssey they’ve been on since Andrew Luck abruptly retired in 2019. New head coach Shane Steichen put to bed any notion of Ravens superstar Lamar Jackson coming to Indy, stating, “We’re focused on the draft and I’m going to focus on guys that are in the building.” That all but guarantees the team will pick a QB in the first round for the first time since Luck was selected No. 1 in 2012.
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Pittman joked that picking a rookie — a decision that will likely come down to Florida’s Anthony Richardson or Kentucky’s Will Levis — is above his pay grade, but he trusts general manager Chris Ballard. Buckner echoed Pittman, saying he met with Ballard after the 2022 season and the GM told him to “trust me.” What exactly they’re trusting remains to be seen. Neither could say with certainty what direction Indianapolis is headed other than it being a new one.
“It’s up to the higher-ups,” Buckner said. “Whatever moves they make, we move forward.”
Perhaps after losing seven straight games to end a season for the first time since 1953, the only place to go is up.
(Top photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)