More than six weeks since the NFL free agency window opened, there remain some big-name players on the market — some, admittedly, a bit past their prime — who are worth taking a chance on. The five players below all come with some type of baggage but the Colts, who have more than $26 million in cap space, need to take some risk this free agency and roll the dice on some high upside veterans to increase their chances to snap their five-year playoff drought.
Here are five players the Colts should target to increase competition, add depth and raise their ceiling at wide receiver, edge rusher and linebacker:
Jauan Jennings, wide receiver, 28, last with 49ers
Jennings is coming off a career-high nine-touchdown season in San Francisco in 2025 where he caught 55 balls on 90 targets for 643 yards. He’s a big-bodied receiver at 6-foot-3, 212 pounds whose supreme in the blocking game – key when you have a gamechanger at running back – and who can grab contested catches over the middle as a security blanket on third down and in the red zone.
The only reasonable explanation as to why Jennings, who came with a $9.1 million cap hit a year ago with the 49ers, is still on the market is his financial ask compared to what the market is willing to pay him. His base salary a year ago was $4.45 million, and it’s not hard to imagine, given the way receiver contracts have spiked, that he’d be looking to triple that – if not more. At the moment, the Colts have more than $26 million in cap space, with the hope of increasing that north of $35 million if (or when) they trade either Kenny Moore II or Anthony Richardson Sr. this offseason. (Releasing Richardson would cost them cap space.)
Paying Jennings handsomely would eat up a good chunk of that available space – perhaps making it tough for the Colts to also take a flier on a veteran edge rusher but it could be worth it. Pierce, Josh Downs and Tyler Warren are a solid trio of pass catchers, and adding someone like Jennings who more than likely sees himself as a No. 1, or at minimum No. 2, option in an offense, could disrupt things a bit. But Indianapolis has also played this offseason extremely conservatively, minus doing what it took to hold onto Alec Pierce and quarterback Daniel Jones.
Jennings immediately rises above the team’s two other options at WR3 in Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and seventh-round rookie Deion Burks.
Keenan Allen, wide receiver, 34, last with Chargers
There’s been widespread belief that Allen will end up back with the Chargers and is simply biding his time for the right deal, but even at 34, he’s worth kicking the tires on. This past season, he made a somewhat surprising splash in his return to the Chargers, hauling in 81 catches in 122 targets for 777 yards and four scores.
Though six years older than Jennings, bringing in Allen comes with the same concerns as above – adding another high-volume receiver to the mix in a room that seems to already have its hierarchy set. He fits a similar profile to Jennings, though, as a stellar possession receiver who can get targets over the middle and who is known as a stellar route runner.
Perhaps importantly, too, he comes with a lengthy background with Colts head coach Shane Steichen, who spent seven of Allen’s first eight seasons with him in San Diego and Los Angeles – including the 2019 and 2020 campaigns as his offensive coordinator, when Allen combined for 204 catches, 2,191 yards and 14 touchdowns. It may take a lot to pull Allen away from the Chargers, but if the franchise opts to walk away from him for good, consider Indianapolis a solid potential landing spot for a one-year deal.
Cameron Jordan, defensive end, 36, last with Saints
New Orleans, Jordan’s home throughout his 15-year career, acquired two edge rushers in the past week, putting into question whether one of the longtime staples of the defense will return for another season. The obvious question in acquiring Jordan, who will turn 37 in July, is how much juice he has left in the tank. If you merely go off last year’s production, you would say yes.
Jordan recorded 10.5 sacks in 2025, his most since 2021 (12.5), a significant uptick over the production of his previous two seasons (2.0 in 2023 and 4.0 in 2024). He’d join a position group all significantly younger than him, but there’s reason to wonder if Jordan’s experience could lend some sort of assistance to an edge rush crew whose oldest member, among legitimate contributors, is 29-year-old Arden Key.
Presently, the Colts have inexperience or a lack of production competing for the leading role opposite Laiatu Latu. Jordan has been otherworldly in terms of his health over the course of his career – something you can’t say about the other aged edge rusher options on the market. Maybe Father Time finally catches up to him in training camp and we’ll see he’s lost a step to the crew the Colts have assembled to compete for the spot, but it’s hard not to argue the Colts should turn over another rock or two before calling its edge rush room complete.
Jadeveon Clowney, defensive end, 33, last with Cowboys
Clowney’s availability has been his Achilles heel for much of his career, having missed four games in his lone season in Dallas this past season. But when he was on the field, he certainly produced, logging 8.5 sacks, 10 quarterback hits and 38 pressures. His pressure percentage (18.4%) was fifth-best in the league among defensive linemen, according to Next Gen Stats.
Like Jordan, he’s probably past the stage of being a season-long starting edge rusher, but if the Colts are in the position of putting together some sort of rotation, and Clowney can stay on the field, his stats from a year ago suggest he could still be a meaningful addition for a win now team.
Bobby Okereke, linebacker, 29, last with Giants
How about a homecoming? After four seasons with the Colts, who drafted him in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Okereke walked in free agency in the spring of 2023 and signed with the Giants. Though injuries stifled his second of three seasons in New York, Okereke only continued to produce, making more than 140 tackles each in 2023 and 2025. He was released in March ahead of free agency and remains one of the top potential targets around the league for teams in need of a veteran presence at the second level.
Though the Colts took two linebackers in last weekend’s draft, one might wonder if they could be willing to add one more body to the mix for training camp – particularly in a group that has just one serious roster contender older than 25 in Akeem Davis-Gaither. The lone legit veteran in the group raised the position’s floor when he was signed somewhat early in free agency, but Davis-Gaither lacks the juice of Okereke, who has typically played the MIKE spot set to be inherited by CJ Allen, but who has experience playing all over the field.
Like so many of the players on this list, this isn’t a signing guaranteed to provide immediate impact but Okereke is worth rolling the dice on – particularly for a position that is crowded but lacks more than one sure-fire starter for 2026.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts need juice at WR, LB, edge. Here’s who they should target in free agency
Reporting by Nathan Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
