By Jesse Reed
Indianapolis Colts receiver T.Y. Hilton reportedly wants to get paid like Dez Bryant.
You knew this was coming after Bryant and Demaryius Thomas set the NFL’s receiver market in mid-July. Both players received five-year contracts worth $70 million with over $40 million guaranteed. Hilton didn’t hide his glee after Thomas and Bryant signed their deals, writing, “All this BREAKING NEWS. Does this mean the bar is set?? #THEGHOST” on his Twitter account.
And now, per Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole, Hilton and agent Drew Rosenhaus are lobbying Indy for the star receiver to get paid in the same fashion, which is around $14 million per season. Though the two sides would love to get a deal done soon, Rosenhaus doesn’t think it will happen before training camp.
Hilton is undoubtedly one of the most electric receivers in the NFL. Using his outstanding speed, he routinely gets past defensive secondaries where quarterback Andrew Luck can hit him over the top. The past two seasons Hilton has caught 164 passes for 2,448 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Those numbers are impressive, but they don’t compare to what Thomas and Bryant have done during the same stretch. Thomas has 25 touchdowns the past two years, while Bryant has caught 29.
Hilton is going to likely take on a larger role within Indianapolis’ offense this season, especially with the departure of Reggie Wayne this past offseason. However, the team did just draft Hilton-clone Phillip Dorsett, which could be a strong negotiating tool for the Colts.
With that in mind, it doesn’t seem likely that the Colts will be willing to pay Hilton on the same level as Bryant or Thomas, but time will tell.
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