Colts hope they can secure extension for Luck before start of training camp
INDIANAPOLIS — Colts owner Jim Irsay said Saturday that negotiations on Andrew Luck’s contract extension are getting serious and a deal could be reached before training camp begins.
“Talks are progressing well. We have gotten into serious discussions and we have made progress,” Irsay said after taking a break during the sixth round of the NFL draft. “Serious discussions have happened and indicate we should be able to come to deal.”
The obstacle doesn’t appear to be money. Irsay has repeatedly said he plans to pay market value to keep his franchise quarterback and has even used the term “shocking numbers” to describe how high he’s willing to go to keep Luck in town. Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco, who was the Super Bowl MVP following the 2012 season, has the title of highest annual average salary at a little more than $22.1 million.
The hard part has been sorting out the details. Both sides are trying to figure out how to come up with a salary-cap friendly deal that would assure Luck will be surrounded by good players for the duration of the deal.
After Luck missed nine games because of injuries last season, Indy spent three of its first six draft picks this weekend on offensive linemen — a concerted effort to keep Luck healthy.
“I’d absolutely love to be here, get it done and move forward,” Luck said when Indy’s offseason workouts began April 18. “That being said, I really don’t spend that much time thinking about it.”