Colts Star Explains His Reasons for Resigning in Indianapolis, Safety Market
Julian Blackmon, a safety with the Indianapolis Colts, desires to return to Indy but also to establish his worth for a long-term contract.
The Indianapolis Colts moved rapidly to hold onto their own players when free agency opened in the middle of March.
Grover Stewart, Kenny Moore II, and Michael Pittman Jr. were among the players who signed long-term extensions that elevated them to the top of their respective positions. With just a year remaining on his contract, Zaire Franklin was even given an extension that put him in the upper echelons of the linebacker market.
The Colts kept adding players back to their roster, but one of them was available for considerably longer than the others. Julian Blackmon eventually made his way back to Indianapolis. With a one-year contract for up to $7.7 million and a $3.2 million guarantee, the safety returns to the Colts.
When asked what brought him back to Indianapolis, Blackman replied, “This was home, and this is the place where it started and this is the place I want to finish if I can.” “Everyone is aware of the way safeties’ free agency played out this year. All we needed to do was exercise patience throughout the entire process, and we succeeded in producing a solution that satisfied everyone.
Blackmon had never had the opportunity to experience free agency before this offseason. Having had the best season of his career, he was hoping to cash in on a long-term agreement. Blackmon recorded 88 tackles, five tackles for loss, four interceptions, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, and eight passes defensed in 15 games.
However, the safety tie market never really took off. Players at the position were oversupplied since so many teams opted to cut their safeties in order to free up more cap space or to let them test the market. As a result, there were too many safety searching for new teams and not enough clubs needing to provide them large contracts.
Sound familiar? To Blackmon, it certainly does. He compared it to another position that received the same fate last season.
Blackmon clarified, “I think it was something like how it was for the running backs a year ago.” It merely goes to demonstrate that you should constantly be ready for anything. It’s one of those things where you can never really claim you’ve got it, particularly in the NFL with the abundance of skill. This was an unusual circumstance, especially for me as I was about to enter my first free agency, so I tried to simply take it all in stride. Fortunately, though, I had the proper people by my side to help me get through it.
Even though Blackmon had not anticipated such a strong market, players were nonetheless landing huge contracts. Three NFL players inked multi-year contracts: Darnell Savage of the Jacksonville Jaguars, C.J. Gardner-Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles, and Xavier McKinney of the Green Bay Packers. It would be difficult for Blackmon to refrain from thinking, “Why not me?” in comparison to those players.
Rather than moping about why the market was not opening up for him, Blackmon adopted a fresh strategy. When another safety was signed, he did not examine the headlines or social media. Blackmon simply lived day by day, having faith that the ideal arrangement will materialize.
“I think honestly the way you deal with it is you try to turn off all the outside noise, try not to look at what everybody else is doing, what everybody else is signing,” he stated. “Simply stay put. As I mentioned previously, I was able to take care of myself by working out at home and simply taking each day as it comes.
“I really didn’t want to start making comparisons. When all the other people are signing, it becomes effortless to draw comparisons. I chose to ignore the outside distractions and concentrate on my work instead of doing what I didn’t want to do.
Blackmon eventually had visits to other organizations throughout the free agency window. He traveled to see the San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills. Ultimately, Blackmon felt the effects of those travels and realized where he had always wanted to be.
“To be honest, I think it just broadened my perspective,” Blackmon said. “To be honest, I was inspired to return because of the way other teams compete and what makes them successful cultures. You notice that every other team talks about their internal resources and capabilities. It seemed to me that we were experiencing the same thing in Indianapolis. My inner voice was continually saying, “Well, this has been a great process, but I want to keep building on something that I helped start.”
Following those trips, the Colts and Blackmon’s agent resumed discussions about an extension. Blackmon accepted that Indianapolis was the greatest location for him to be, both on and off the field, even though he knew the deal would not be what he had hoped for in free agency. Despite the short contract, Blackmon hopes to show that he is deserving of more following the 2024 campaign.
“After weighing it with my family and after talking it over and over with my agent and everybody, this is the place that made the most sense for the next step,” Blackmon said. It’s a one-year contract. Although we all witnessed how the market performed, I believe that my value is worth more than a year. That’s the hand I was dealt. I’m pleased with the outcome.
In the end, the agreement may benefit both parties. Should Blackmon manage to secure the entire $7.7 million, his earnings will rank third among all safety players in the 2024 free agent class. In 2025, he’ll be a hot commodity and more likely to sign a major contract as a free agent.
By having Blackmon back, the Colts close a gap that would have been a clear defensive vulnerability. The Colts’ safety room includes players like Nick Cross, Rodney Thomas II, Daniel Scott, and Trevor Denbow in addition to Blackmon. Although neither Cross nor Thomas has been validated, they both fit the free safety role more closely than strong safety. Blackmon is back, which covers the strong safety position.
Blackmon will need to play every game in order to earn the whole $7.7 million. Throughout his four-year career, Blackmon has experienced injury setbacks, never participating in a full season of play. Blackmon will be able to advance his game if he can play all 17 games at an elite level.
“I would say the next step is honestly to finish,” Blackmon commented. “I feel like I’ve started out strong and I’ve gotten to the end, but I haven’t finished. For me, I think that everybody else knows it too, one of the things that I want to do is play 17 games. I think that, more than just from a leadership aspect, I think being on the field for my teammates is something that I want to be able to do.”
Related Posts
About The Author
