The Indianapolis Colts waited out a wild safety market and finally landed a familiar face on Wednesday.
Indy re-signed safety Clayton Geathers, the club announced. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Drafted by Indy in the fourth round of the 2015 draft, Geathers will return as the Colts' starting strong safety across from Malik Hooker, a role he embraced well in 2018 when he started a career-high 12 games and recorded 89 total tackles.
The No. 63 free agent available according to NFL.com, Geathers got his deal after the rush on free-agent safeties died down.
The likes of Earl Thomas, Landon Collins and Tyrann Mathieu signed for around $14 million per year within the first three days of the negotiating window. Lamarcus Joyner and Adrian Amos earned around $10 million per year. Eric Weddle and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix will make around $6 million and $3.5 million in 2019, respectively.
Indy's patient retaining of Geathers is emblematic of its approach to free agency. The Colts entered the signing period with more than $100 million in cap space, but have used it cautiously, as general manager Chris Ballard promised they would, breaking the bank for only one non-Colts player: Devin Funchess (one-year, $13M deal). Indy also re-signed defenders Pierre Desir and Margus Hunt.
The Colts are expected to be major players during the aftershocks of free agency, after all the hyped-up names have been overpaid. Expect more of these low-key signings for Ballard and Co.
