Colts' Michael Pittman Jr.: No contract extension has 'worked out' for me

Michael Pittman Jr. is putting together arguably the best season of his four-year NFL career for the Indianapolis Colts and doing so at an opportune time, as the wide receiver is a free agent after the 2023 season.

Pittman feels that failing to reach a contract extension with the Colts before this season was a blessing in disguise for his future.

"We haven't really talked about it, but that's not a bad thing," Pittman told ESPN in a story published on Friday morning about his contract. "I feel like it's worked out in my favor. If I would've did a deal at the beginning of the year, it probably would've been less than what I could potentially get in the future."

Across the Colts' 13 games this season, Pittman has totaled 95 receptions for 984 yards and four touchdowns. Furthermore, he has 10 games with at least eight receptions and has reached that mark in each of their last six games.

For perspective, he hauled in 99 receptions for 925 yards and four touchdowns last season and has just one 1,000-plus-yard receiving season under his belt (2021). The Colts selected Pittman with the No. 34 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of USC.

Indianapolis has been rolling with quarterback Gardner Minshew, who became the team's full-time quarterback when No. 4 overall draft pick Anthony Richardson was shut down for the season due to a shoulder injury in October. The Colts are 7-6, currently good for the No. 3 AFC wild-card seed, under first-year head coach Shane Steichen.

As for what Pittman's next contract could look like, there are 13 NFL wide receivers with a $20 million average annual salary and no receiver selected in the 2020 NFL Draft has signed an extension.

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That said, Pittman is more focused on setting an example.

"When I'm done [playing], I want people to say, 'He was a great teammate, he always showed up, and he was a hard-nosed guy,'" Pittman said. "People look at it like just a game. But when you really look at it, I've been playing tackle football since five years old, working towards this point. This is my life's work, and I care deeply about it."

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