Allen Deal Likely Skews Market for Tight Ends

The Indianapolis Colts re-signed tight end Dwayne Allen to what some might figure to be a fairly absurd four-year, $29.4 million deal, on Monday.

That’s $7.35 million per season for a tight end who put up 16 receptions, 109 yards and one touchdown in 2015. Allen’s career totals are 91 receptions, 1,045 yards and 13 touchdowns. Those numbers span four seasons.

Despite those fairly mediocre-looking statistics, Allen does have some talent.

He’s now being paid for that and not his production.

Allen’s deal likely set the bar for the free agent tight end market.

So if the Green Bay Packers are interested in a free agent like San Diego’s Ladarius Green — and they should be — they’re going to have to pay good money for him.

Frankly, that makes it less likely that the Packers will sign someone like Green or the Colts other tight end, Coby Fleener, despite it being their biggest need.

On the other hand, everyone in the market for a tight end may see what Indianapolis paid Allen and scoff at any such demand made by any of the free agents.

The longer guys remain unsigned, the more their asking price drops and the more likely the Packers are to get involved.

With all the cap room out there, that second scenario seems unlikely.

Out bet is Allen’s deal just eliminated any chance the Packers had at Green or Fleener. The next tier of free agent tight ends are guys like Vernon Davis, Ben Watson and Antonio Gates, all of whom are on the downside of their careers (or have one foot in the grave).

Any of those three should fit the Packers’ price range, but will only be good for a season or two, at best.