Colts face important decision on picking up Kwity Paye’s fifth-year alternative by Thursday’s deadline

The question is whether the Colts will or won’t pick up former 2021 first rounder Kwity Paye’s 5th-year option by Thursday’s league deadline?

The Indianapolis Colts have until Thursday (May 2nd) to exercise the fifth-year option on 2021 first-round pick (and starting defensive end) Kwity Paye, which would be worth $13.4 million fully guaranteed in 2025.

When asked about Paye’s looming 5th-year option choice after ‘Day 1’ of last week’s NFL Draft, Colts general manager Chris Ballard responded briefly:

“We’ll work through that next week,” responded Ballard on whether the Colts will pick up Paye’s 5th-year option. “Look, Kwity is a really good football player. What did he have like 8.5 sacks last year? Plays the crap out of the run. He’s a great teammate. I think you know our philosophy, we want to keep as many of our own guys as we can. So, we like Kwity a lot.”

He’s also highly regarded by his defensive coordinator, Gus Bradley:

Bradley paying huge compliments to Kwity Paye. Says he's highly trusted and highly respected, and the coaches believe he can get to another level. #Colts

— George Bremer (@gmbremer) May 1, 2024

It’s also worth noting that just because the Colts don’t pick up Paye’s fifth-year option does not mean they can’t work out a contract extension with the 25-year-old before he becomes a free agency after the 2024 season.

Given his youth, production, and first-round pedigree, picking up Paye’s fifth-year option wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Colts to see if he can tap into more of his physical tools and pass rushing potential—especially given the inflated contracts being handed out in NFL free agency these days.

(It’s possible that if the Colts passed up on Paye’s 5th-year option, and he hits free agency, another team might roll the dice on him for similar reasons—and for a comparable price.)

That being said, his long-term future with the Colts club is uncertain given the team’s recent first-round selection of Laiatu Latu, as well as the fact that Dayo Odeyingbo, the Colts’ 2021 second-round pick, is also due to become a free agency after this season.

One could argue that, while Paye has been a quality starting defensive end, he hasn’t lived up to his first-round draft status and is more important in run defense than as a pass rusher—which has worth but may not be as valuable in today’s passing game.

Both Latu and Odeyingbo are known for their pass rushing skills, which may be more valuable to the Colts or other teams in the modern NFL.

Paye was PFF’s 36th best edge defender last season, with an overall score of +74.3. While he was typically effective for the Colts, his score includes a +78.1 run defense mark but only a +62.2 pass rushing grade.

It lends validity to the notion that Paye’s 8.5 sack total was the consequence of others’ pass rushing pressure and/or being ‘in the right place at the right time’—rather than his own pass rushing prowess. He also had 2 QB hits and 28 total QB pressures this past season.

Honestly, the Colts might go in a variety of directions with this one, and we should know their initial decision on Paye’s fifth-year option soon.