Colts Top Prioity Is Re-signing Hayden

By News Wire
Posted February 13, 2009

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From Mike Chappell of The IndyStar.com:

February is personnel-juggling time for NFL teams, and the biggest ball in the air for the Indianapolis Colts , president Bill Polian said, is Kelvin Hayden.

If the Colts can’t re-sign the starting cornerback — and negotiations aren’t going well, Polian said — they plan to give him the one-year franchise tag to the tune of nearly $10 million. How that plays out will determine how the team handles center Jeff Saturday and its eight other unrestricted free agents, set to go on the bidding block Feb. 27.

“You start with Kelvin and work your way down,” Polian said.

The Colts president discussed that and other offseason issues, such as new defensive coordinator Larry Coyer and receiver Marvin Harrison’s future, in a sitdown with local media Thursday.

Among the highlights:

Free agents: Re-signing Hayden is Priority One. Why? He has good size (6-0, 195), is good in coverage and against the run, and is still relatively new to the position. Perhaps most important, he’s young; the 2005 second-round draft pick turns 26 in July.

However, discussions with Hayden’s agent, Fletcher Smith, are off to a slow start.

“There’s still a long way to go, but I’m not optimistic at this point,” Polian said, adding that he is ready to use the franchise tag if needed. That would all but assure Hayden would remain a Colt, and cost the team $9.96 million.