The Indianapolis Colts are in a decent position when it comes to 2025 cap space, but who are the 10 players set to take up the most cap room for the team next season?
In this article, we examine the most costly players that the Colts are set to carry into the 2025 season. Player contracts can be complicated, though, with many moving parts. With that in mind, we’ve used the players’ 2025 cap numbers rather than weighing their guarantees against potential earnings.
1. DeForest Buckner (Cap Number: $26.6 million)
Buckner signed a two-year deal worth $46 million with the Colts in 2024 and is set to earn a base salary of $13 million in 2025. He arrived in Indianapolis in 2020 and has since posted 50+ tackles in each of the five seasons in addition to 39 sacks.
2. Michael Pittman Jr. (Cap Number: $23 million)
Selected 34th overall by the Colts in the 2020 NFL Draft, Pittman has become an integral part of the wide receiver room in Indianapolis. He signed a three-year extension worth $70 million last offseason and is set to earn a base salary of $18 million in 2025.
3. Quenton Nelson (Cap Number: $22.7 million)
Nelson was selected sixth overall by the Colts in the 2020 NFL Draft and has been one of the best guards in the NFL since. Nelson has earned a Pro Bowl selection in each of his seven years in the league, in addition to three first-team honors, and was awarded a four-year, $80 million extension by the Colts in 2022.
4. Jonathan Taylor (Cap Number: $15.3 million)
Taylor was selected 41st overall by the Colts in the 2020 NFL Draft and has been impressive in his five years in the league so far. He has produced three 1,000+ yard rushing seasons and has been decent through the air as well. He was handed a three-year extension worth $42 million in 2023 and is set to earn a base salary of $12 million in 2025.
5. Daniel Jones (Cap Number: $14.5 million)
A former first-round pick of the New York Giants, Jones was acquired by the Colts to shore up the QB competition for Anthony Richardson. He is coming off a down year in Minnesota but was still given a one-year, $14.5 million contract by the Colts.
6. Grover Stewart (Cap Number: $14.25 million)
A fourth-round pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, Stewart is one of the most important parts of the Colts’ defensive line and posted 74 tackles and 3.5 sacks last season. He signed a three-year extension worth $39 million in 2024 and is set to earn a base salary of $7.74 million in 2025.
7. Kwity Paye (Cap Number: $13.3 million)
Another big part of the Colts’ defensive line is Kwity Paye, who was picked 21st overall by Indianapolis in the 2021 NFL Draft. He has racked up 170 tackles and 26.5 sacks in his four years with the Colts, and while he is yet to earn an extension, Indianapolis has exercised his fifth-year option worth $13.3 million.
8. Kenny Moore III (Cap Number: $10.69 million)
Despite having entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2017, Moore has established himself as one of the best tackles in Colts history. He signed a three-year extension worth $30 million with them in 2024 and went on to post 78 tackles and three interceptions in 2025.
9. Samson Ebukam (Cap Number: $10.49 million)
Ebukam is a fourth-round pick of the 2017 NFL Draft and arrived in Indianapolis in 2023. He signed a three-year contract worth $24 million with the Colts on his arrival and is set to earn a base salary of $6.49 million in 2025. He missed the entire 2024 season due to an Achilles injury but is expected to be back in action for the upcoming season.
10. Braden Smith (Cap Number: $10.4 million)
Smith was selected 37th overall by the Colts in the 2018 NFL Draft and has been an integral part of their offensive line since. In 2021, he signed a four-year extension worth $70 million and will earn a base salary of $3.96 million in 2025.
