Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A recent shocking decision by the Colts seems to point towards the team making a big move ahead of the NFL trade deadline

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Destin Adams | Last updated Oct 10, 2025 8:30 AM ET

The Indianapolis Colts have been busy adding to their roster as they prepare for their Week 6 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals. The team signed Michael Badgley to replace kicker Spencer Shrader after his season-ending injury. They also signed former Las Vegas Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals LB Germaine Pratt to hopefully upgrade the position.

They also made another move this week, though. The team restructured CB Kenny Moore II's contract to create $3.8 million in cap space for this season. And this move has people speculating that the team could have a much bigger move in store.

The Colts created $3.8M in cap room with a simple restructure of Kenny Moore's contracthttps://t.co/pA4YuEk71V
— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) October 9, 2025

Colts increase their 2025 cap space by restructuring CB Kenny Moore II's contract

Sep 21, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II (23) intercepts a pass for a pick six during the first quarter at Nissan Stadium. Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Restucturing contracts isn't a new concept in the NFL; teams often use it to create cap space every year. It is a pretty rare approach for the Colts to take, which is why their decision to do this randomly, after a strong 4-1 start to the season, seems so notable. Before this move, the Colts had less than $4 million in available cap space, and now they sit just over $7.6 million.

There are multiple reasons the Colts could have chosen to do this. The one on everyone's mind, though, is creating more flexibility to potentially pull off a big trade ahead of the NFL trade deadline. The team has a few different needs that they could address. The top two that come to mind would be CB and edge. Neither of those positions is typically easy to trade for across the league, because teams that have good players at those positions usually do everything in their power to hang on to them. But if the Colts were to make a big trade this season, I would be shocked if it didn't involve them adding a player at one of those two spots.

Some may think $7.6 million is still not enough for the Colts to take a big swing, and therefore believe this move by the Colts means nothing. To that, I would offer two reasons why I disagree. First, I think many would be shocked at how low of a cap hit a team trading for a star player would take on due to the dead cap their previous team keeps on their books. Secondly, if the Colts want to add a player that requires them to have more cap space, they still have multiple players they can restructure to create a ton of cap space. For example, their top five restructuring candidates would generate over $40 million if the team were to fully restructure each of their contracts.