Colts Release DE Ricky Jean-Francois

The Indianapolis Colts announced the release of DT Ricky Jean-Francois on Monday.

This is an interesting move for the Colts, seeing as Jean-Francois was a big-name free agent addition just a few years ago.

The Colts will need to find upgrades at defensive end, pass rusher, linebacker and cornerback in the coming months and they’re going to need all cap space they can get. Having Andrew Luck playing quarterback has already proven to be a great marketing tool for the Indianapolis, as Duron Carter chose them over a number of interested teams.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Colts do well in free agency.

Jean-Francois, 28, signed a four-year, $22 million contract that included $5.5 million guaranteed with the Colts back in 2013. He had base salaries of $5.5 million coming his way in each of the next two season.

According to OverTheCap.com, the Colts will free up $4.875 million with this move while creating $1.25 million in dead money.

In 2014, Jean-Francois appeared in all 16 games and recorded 28 tackles, three sacks, a fumble recovery and six pass defenses for the Colts. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 26 defensive end in a 3-4 system out of 47 qualifying players.

Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?

Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!

Leave a Reply