Indianapolis Colts: Is T.Y Hilton worth elite money?

This offseason has seen the wide receiver market change with stars getting new contracts. T.Y. Hilton of the Indianapolis Colts will now be looking get his long-term deal like other great wide receivers.

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Two of the wide receivers that have helped set the new market for what elite wide receivers make are Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant. It is hard to argue that Thomas or Bryant aren’t elite wide receivers in the NFL, and they were paid what they deserved.

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According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, Hilton believes that he is worth the same as those two players. Cole also states that he believes a deal will be done soon.

Hilton was drafted in the third-round of the 2012 NFL Draft, and quickly became a steal for the Colts. In his rookie season, Hilton emerged as a talented wide receiver by totaling 50 receptions, 861 receiving yards, and seven receiving touchdowns.

In his second season, Hilton improved after his strong rookie season, as he totaled 82 receptions, 1083 receiving yards, and five receiving touchdowns.

Last season, Hilton continued his trend of improving, as he totaled 82 receptions, 1,345 receiving yards, and seven receiving touchdowns. Hilton has been a favorite target of Luck, and a big reason for the success after Peyton Manning.

While Hilton has been very good in his first three seasons, it’s hard to say that he is on the same level of Thomas or Bryant. Physically speaking, Bryant and Thomas are simply beasts. They are both over 6’2’ and weigh about 225lbs with speed, making each able to have an impact from any position on the field and headaches to stop in the red zone.

Hilton’s size hasn’t caused him to have any problems succeeding in the NFL, but being just 5’10” and 185lbs has hurt him as a red zone threat. In the past three seasons, Bryant and Thomas have both totaled double-digits touchdowns every year, while Hilton’s career-high is seven.

There’s no denying that Hilton is a very talented wide receiver, but it is hard to place the elite tag on him.

The Colts also have their face of the franchise needing a contract extension, as Luck is due for a monster extension, which should be their first priority.

In the 2015 NFL Draft, the Colts made a very interesting pick in the first-round by drafting Phillip Dorsett from Miami. Dorsett is almost a clone of Hilton, which raised a lot of questions about the contract situation between Hilton and the Colts

The NFL salary cap is expected to make a jump in 2016, which means that $14 million for Hilton may not be as bad as it sounds this season. In the NBA this offseason, their salary cap made a large jump up and players reaped the benefits of more money being available, as players who aren’t elite saw nice pay raises.

Hilton and his agent Drew Rosenhaus might be trying to jump the gun on the new money that is expected to be available. The Colts should be careful however, as in the current salary cap structure, Hilton despite being very good isn’t worth the desired $14 million per season.

Next: Colts TE breakdown

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