T.Y. Hilton Looking to Finish Career With Colts

We’re still just about four months away from the scheduled start of the regular season for the NFL but that doesn’t mean that players and teams aren’t contemplating future deals. There are plenty of guys out there either playing on one-year deals who are looking to hammer out a new contract or who are playing the final year of their current contract in search of earning an extension or to impress someone else. More than half the first-round picks in the 2017 NFL Draft had their fifth-year options declined, for example, creating an entire group of players that are playing for a new deal.

Then you have veterans that are finishing up a contract and who are looking to ink a new one to extend their career. Falling in that group is receiver T.Y. Hilton, who has spent his entire eight-year career with the Indianapolis Colts. He came into the league as a rookie in 2012 along with Andrew Luck and has stuck with the team through injuries, quarterback changes along with the ups and downs of the franchise. On Wednesday, Hilton made it clear that he wants to finish his career with the Colts.

In his statement, Hilton said that the sides were working on a deal in the offseason only to have talks put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He said: “It takes two sides. It's up to [owner Jim] Irsay and [general manager] Chris [Ballard] to get the job done. I want to be a Colt. So you heard it from me." In addition to his desire to finish his career with the Colts, Hilton, who is in the final year of his current contract, made it clear that whenever his next contract comes to an end, provided he hammers one out with Indianapolis, will be the end of the road for him. "Whether it's two years, three years, four years. Whatever it is."

Hilton has had a productive career in the NFL as he has reeled in 552 passes for 8,598 yards and 45 touchdowns over the course of those seasons. He has recorded three seasons with at least 82 receptions and five years with at least 1,000 receiving yards. Hilton’s best year in his career came in 2016, when he hauled in 91 passes for a league-leading 1,448 yards and six scores. Last season was a down year for Hilton, as he finished with only 45 receptions for 501 yards and five scores. He missed six games with a myriad of injuries, marking more games lost to injury than he had missed in the first seven years (four) of his career.

With the Colts adding Philip Rivers to run the offense, Hilton has a proven commodity at quarterback. That is something that the team lacked last season. Over the course of his career, Rivers consistently got the most out of his receivers with 11 1,000-yard seasons from receivers. Last year alone, Keenan Allen (1,199 yards) and Mike Williams (1,001 receiving yards) each cracked that mark while running back Austin Ekeler (993 yards) narrowly missed that plateau. Clearly, if there is a quarterback that can get the most out of Hilton and the Colts’ offense, Rivers would be a solid bet. Rivers has familiarity with Frank Reich as Reich is a former offensive coordinator with the Chargers, giving him a leg up on the offensive scheme.

Hilton is the consummate professional and team player as he refused to go on injured reserve last season despite suffering a torn calf muscle on October 30. When asked about that, Hilton said: "I kind of let my teammates down last year being hurt, being injured, things you really can't control. It's not like you're playing Madden and cutting injuries off. ... I'm working out twice a day, so I don't let my teammates down. My motivation is to getting back to where I was, and that's getting back on top of the game."

Words like that echo the mentality of Rivers, who played in the playoffs against the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game in 2008 despite tearing his ACL and meniscus the week before. It’s a couple of warriors and that kind of drive, determination and guts from their veterans will send a message to the rest of the organization. Hopefully, Ballard and Irsay get a deal hammered out and keep Hilton’s grit, tenacity and talent with the franchise.