Colts Keep One of Their Own: Re-sign Center Jeff Saturday

The Colts re-signed Jeff Saturday to a 3-year extension on Friday. Terms have not been publicly disclosed.

This is great news for the Colts offense. Peyton Manning may have lost one of his targets in him passing game when Marvin Harrison was released, but this signing will help keep him protected. Steve Justice did a decent job filling in for Saturday while Jeff dealt with injuries this past season, but he is no Jeff Saturday..

In my opinion Saturday is one of those guys who just goes out and does his job well week in, week out — as is evident from his Pro Bowl appearances. The offensive line just seems to be more in sync when he is out there coordinating the blocking schemes.

The Colts know what they have in Jeff Saturday and to potentially let him go to an AFC rival as it has been reported would have been disastrous. Thanks to the money freed up by the Marvin Harrison release, and the unexpected $4 million increase in the salary cap, the Colts were able to find the money for Saturday. And now, the unlikely story continues: from selling electrical parts to one of the top centers in the league today is not bad. Getting to play with a quarterback like Peyton Manning is just icing on the cake.

I am just wondering how many offensive linemen the Colts are going to bring into camp this year and how many they will keep on the roster. Will they keep 8 again this upcoming season?

Also, in their story about the Colts re-signing Jeff Saturday, the Indianapolis Star has the details on the Kelvin Hayden contract:

Cornerback Kelvin Hayden will realize immediate and immense impact from the five-year, $43 million contract he signed earlier this month. He’ll earn $17.48 million in 2009 through a $13.5 million signing bonus, $2 million roster bonus, $250,000 workout bonus and $1.73 million base salary. The deal also includes a $2.25 million roster bonus in 2010, and pays him $22.645 million in the first two years and $29 million in the first three.

Hayden will count $6.68 million against the ‘09 salary cap.

Here are some Colts free agency links to keep you up to date on the latest news:

Estimating Saturday’s contract — (Stampede Blue)

Colts say bye to Keiaho, Hagler — (Indy Star)

Stay up to date with Colts updates — (Pro Sports Daily)

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Bill K is a big White Sox and Colts fan living in Fort Worth, Texas who also maintains his own personal blog: Average Guy Sports.

Colts Offseason Update: Re-Sign Kelvin Hayden, Harrison Gone

This week the Colts signed Kelvin Hayden to a five-year $43 million dollar deal.

That is great in that it helps solidify the secondary that at times can be suspect when Bob Sanders is not in the lineup. Hayden has been a solid and consistent player for the Colts and keeping him was a wise choice; however, it now opens up the question about what other free agents are the Colts going to be able to sign?

Here are the Colts free agents that are still unsigned:

• Dominic Rhodes – a nice running back to have in the stable to help keep Addai fresh.
• Tyjuan Hagler – another good linebacker that the colts cannot really afford to let go.
• Hunter Smith – he doesn’t get the work load that most NFL punters get but he is a consistent punter.
• Josh Thomas – proved his worth filling in over the course of two seasons. A proven defensive linemen is something that the Colts cannot really let go of.

One player that we can reasonably assume will not be back with the Colts next year is wide receiver Marvin Harrison. Over the weekend, Harrison refused to restructure his contract, forcing the Colts to cut him. Simply put, Harrison is making too much money for someone who offers his current level of production. All Colts fans love Marvin, but the fact is that he has lost a step or two and is a shell of a player he once was.

What will be interesting is to where Harrison winds up. The Eagles are an obvious candidate, since Harrison is from Philly, but some observers apparently think that Harrison won’t get contract offers from anyone. We’ll see.

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Bill K is a big White Sox and Colts fan living in Fort Worth, Texas who also maintains his own personal blog: Average Guy Sports.