Colts Must Extend High-End Starter Before It's Too Late

When looking at early extension candidates for NFL teams, it all comes down to two factors. The first factor is whether that player's contract value has a chance to increase going forward as other players at his position get paid and/or the player accumulates more accolades. The other factor is that a player has enough power and leverage to hold out and put pressure on an organization. Technically Raimann has both of these factors in his favor, but especially the first one.

The NFL is starved for offensive tackle talent at the moment. Average starter (at best) Dan Moore just received a $50 million guaranteed on the open market while Jaylon Moore, a rotational starter with the 49ers, received $21.2 million guaranteed over two seasons. Teams will pay top dollar for just adequate offensive tackle play, so a player like Raimann could be looking at a massive payday if he hits the open market.

As it stands right now, the Colts could potentially extend Raimann for a pretty decent rate. He has outstanding numbers according to PFF, but he has yet to earn the accolades that could propel him into a higher tier. If the Colts look to extend Raimann now, they could likely get him in the Alaric Jackson to Garrett Bolles range of deal (around $20 million per season). If they wait on the deal and he makes it to the Pro Bowl next year, that number could climb close to Andrew Thomas or Laremy Tunsil range ($23-25 million per year).

A few extra million dollars per season may not seem like a big deal, but it is important to keep in mind the urgency of this process. High-end starters like Kolton Miller, Rashawn Slater, and Zach Tom are all also up for contract extensions this offseason, so the already booming offensive tackle market could reset to an even higher level rather quickly. Waiting on a Raimann extension could end up being a $6-8 million per-year mistake on the Colts' part.

Overall, the Colts need to get this deal knocked out as soon as possible. A good left tackle is hard to find, and the Colts found an outstanding one in Raimann. At 27 years old, he is still in his prime, and he's only getting better. The Colts can likely get a deal done in the $20-22 million per-year range right now, and the team would be foolish to wait any longer on locking up their high-end offensive tackle.

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