Pay the Man

The Colts have several player’s contracts that are suddenly in the limelight of public opinion, and these are not contracts of simple role players, these are contracts of key pieces to the puzzle. Peyton Manning is in line to get the largest contract in NFL history, Robert Mathis is complaining about his $2.31 million salary for this season, and Antoine Bethea is simply getting thrown under the bus by the Colts. Of the three with contract discussions on the horizon, Bethea has, by far, the most room to complain. Although Manning has proven his elite status and time again, he is still getting paid a boat-load of money without his soon to be enormous contract extension. Manning knows that he will get paid, so for him an extension is inevitable. Mathis is currently on the back end of his front-loaded deal, and is know unhappy with the way he structured his deal. Although $2.31 million is a fairly low salary for a player of his caliber, Mathis has no one to blame but himself for signing his 6 year $30 million contract. He knew exactly what he would be making, and if he didn’t want to make $2.31 million in a season he shouldn’t have signed it. However, unlike Mathis and Manning, Bethea has never had the big contract to cash-in on, and the measly $2.61 million contract for one season that the Colts want him to sign is laughable. Although the Colts do not usually deal with contract disputes openly, the Bethea deal may turn into a public nightmare for the team.

When Bob Sanders is healthy, there is no question that he is one of the best defensive players in the NFL. With that being said, Sanders is not usually healthy, and his time with the team may be dependent on his availability for this season. The Colts dished out a massive five year $37.5 million contract to retain Sanders’ services, and now the thinking behind that contract is being questioned. There is no doubt that the Sanders contract is weighing on the minds of the front office in their negotiations with Bethea, and that in itself is unfair. Unlike Sanders, Bethea has been a steadfast part of this defense for several years now. Bethea has played at a Pro Bowl level year in and year out, while also avoiding injury at the most hard-hitting position in the NFL. Safeties are becoming more and more important with each year in the “pass happy” NFL, and contracts for safeties are getting larger as well. However, looking around the NFL at the top safeties, such as, Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu, and Bob Sanders, it becomes apparent that while safety is important, most great safeties are injury prone. Thus, the importance of signing a durable Bethea is even more important. 

Although Bethea is not a household name throughout the country, his importance to this Colts team is unquestioned. The Colts do not want to make the same mistake with Bethea as they did with Sanders, but the two are almost polar opposites in terms of health. Offering a $2.61 million contract for one year is a slap in the face to Bethea, and while most of us would be happy to rake in that kind of dough, it is hard to blame Bethea for gasping at that offer. If Bethea were to go down this season with a season ending injury, his market value would sink faster than an anchor. Bethea should be paid to his value for this team, and the Colts should not lowball one of the best and most durable defenders on this team.