The Indianapolis Colts will seemingly have some stiff competition if defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo hits free agency.
Though the legal tampering period doesn’t open until March 10, and then the official start of free agency two days after, it seems Odeyingbo is going to have some strong suitors available on the market. Of course, that’s if the Colts let him test free agency for the first time in his career.
According to Wendell Ferreira of AtoZ Sports, the Green Bay Packers are expected to make a strong push for the 25-year-old pass rusher.
The former second-round pick appears to be generating quite the buzz ahead of free agency. The Colts have never been a team to enter a bidding war for a player with Chris Ballard as general manager so if that takes place in the open market, Odeyingbo could have taken his final snap while wearing the horseshoe.
This also comes after the report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero that Odeyingbo could make more money than expected if he hits free agency with the possibility of landing a deal “in the range of $16 million to $20 million per year.” Meanwhile, Spotrac currently projects Odeyingbo to land a four-year deal worth $63.8 million.
Though his surface numbers in 2024 don’t jump off the page, they also don’t paint the full picture. Even with recording just 3.0 sacks, Odeyingbo led the Colts defense with 13 quarterback hits and 42 total pressures while ranking third in pass-rush win rate (13.9%), according to Pro Football Focus. He has totaled 16 sacks, 45 quarterback hits and 21 tackles for loss in 51 career games.
It will be interesting to see what Odeyingbo’s market looks like but if the Packers are serious about acquiring the ascending pass-rusher, it won’t be a surprise if the Colts get outbid simply given their history.
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