The decisions are coming. The aging kicker. The quiet cornerback. The bruising safety. The fearless receiver.

They won’t be easy, these calls, whether to bring back some of their own or let them walk. Of added significance: the second-half successes the Indianapolis Colts enjoyed this past season were at least partly due to a locker room that jelled as one, the perfect blend of young and old. Najee Goode taught Darius Leonard. Al Woods showed Tyquan Lewis. Mike Mitchell tutored Quincy Wilson.

And that mattered. The key for general manager Chris Ballard and his staff moving forward: Not stunting that growth. Not messing with a good thing. Adding not just pieces, but the right pieces.

Backbone of his roster now in place, heaps of cash – about $115 million in projected salary cap space – available, Ballard will soon look to bolster his team in free agency. Before it arrives, the Colts will break down every player with an expiring contract, assign a value to each and weigh how they fit in the Colts’ future. “We’re going to be very disciplined in that regard,” Ballard said last week.

Come March, they’ll lean heavily on that value when it comes time for a decision.

An early read on where the Colts could head:

Unrestricted free agents

Player: Adam Vinatieri, kicker

Age: 46

Already the league’s all-time leader in points scored, Vinatieri said after the team’s divisional playoff loss in Kansas City that he “can’t imagine not playing, you know?” in 2019 if the Colts want him back. He vowed to take a few weeks and weigh his future with his family, something he does after each season. But all signs on this front point to a 24th NFL season for the kicker who can’t stop.

The four-time Super Bowl champ indicated more than once late in the season that he was leaning toward returning. And there’s no doubt that the trajectory of this franchise – the Colts figure to be making playoff runs for the foreseeable future – plays a major role in that. More than anything, Vinatieri craves another shot at a Super Bowl.

“Do I think he can still kick in the league and be a really good kicker? Absolutely I do,” Ballard said two days after the season ended.

And don’t forget Vinatieri’s uncharacteristic day in Kansas City – a missed field goal and a missed extra point. The man doesn’t want to go out like that. Not after 23 years.

Prediction: He’s back.

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Player: Clayton Geathers, safety

Age: 26

The last starter on defense left from the Ryan Grigson era, Geathers quietly had a career season in 2018 despite a litany of injuries (neck, knee, elbow) that severely limited his practice time. He was on the injury report every single week of the season; he still made 12 starts and a career-best 89 tackles.

But there was more to Geathers than that: He was one of the most respected players in the locker room, revered by teammates and coaches alike, and one of the veterans Frank Reich asked to address the team before a pivotal game in late December. That matters. When Ballard talks about building a good locker room, he's talking about guys like Clayton Geathers.

“I got emotional with Clayton after the (Chiefs) game, because I love him,” Ballard said. “I love everything Clayton Geathers stands for. I watched a guy every week fight his tail off to get ready to play.”

Geathers’ open-market value, weighing his injury history, won’t break the bank. After the season he expressed an explicit desire to return to Indianapolis. The Colts would be wise to keep him.

Prediction: He’s back.

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Player: Matt Slauson, guard

Age: 32

Signed last spring to infuse a young, struggling offensive line room with the sort of leadership it long needed, Slauson did that and more – mostly as a pseudo-assistant coach. Lost to a scary back injury in Week 5, Slauson remained in Indianapolis, mentoring the likes of Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly and his replacement, Mark Glowinski. Not a lot of pros would do that. Slauson did.

After the season, he stated a desire to return to the Colts, and sounded like a man who wasn’t done playing. But with the emergence of Glowinski, the Colts found their right guard of the future. Slauson’s return might have to come in a backup capacity.

Prediction: 50-50.

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Player: Mark Glowinski, guard

Age: 26

The missing piece? Maybe. Glowinski’s midseason arrival to the starting lineup – following Slauson succumbing to that back injury in Week 5 – helped set the tone for the Colts’ offensive line revival. Indy became a run-first offense, capable of burying teams at the line of scrimmage. Glowinski fit in nicely. When it comes to plowing holes in the run game, Glowinski is a mauler.

The Colts would be wise to keep this offensive line intact moving forward. Pay Glowinski what he wants and keep a good thing going.

Prediction: He’s back.

Insider:Pass rush tops Colts priority list as Chris Ballard begins important offseason

More:Seven things we learned from the Colts' 2018 season

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Player: Pierre Desir, cornerback

Age: 28

Quietly one of the Colts’ most consistent starters on the defense, Desir highlighted the Colts’ stirring-late season run by shutting down one of the game’s best defenders – that’d be Houston’s DeAndre Hopkins – twice in the span of a month. Yes, the Colts played more zone than just about any defense in 2018, but Desir drew the Hopkins assignment in both the Dec. 2 win and the wild card triumph a month later.

He played last season for a measly $1.75 million, peanuts for a starting cornerback in the NFL. Desir’s earned another deal.

Prediction: He’s back.

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Player: Ryan Grant, wide receiver

Age: 28

Signed in the offseason to bolster the team’s depth at wide receiver, Grant never materialized as the team’s No. 2 wideout, the spot he earned in training camp. He finished the season battling injuries and with just 35 catches. The Colts will look to upgrade this spring.

Prediction: He’s gone.

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Player: Dontrelle Inman, wide receiver

Age: 30

This is a no-brainer. Keep him. Pay him. Inman was a revelation in 2018, one of the best midseason pickups by any team, and the closest thing the Colts ever came to having a No. 2 receiver capable of sliding some of the pressure off a hobbled T.Y. Hilton late in the year. Inman’s stats won’t wow you – 28 catches during the regular season, and eight more in the playoffs – but he had four touchdowns and was as sure-handed in traffic as anyone on the roster.

Prediction: He’s back.

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Player: Margus Hunt, defensive lineman

Age: 31

Hunt, signed to a two-year deal for just $4 million back in 2017, was worth every penny this season, lining up at two positions on the defensive line and playing better than he ever has. Remember Hunt’s two sacks in the opener vs. Cincinnati? Three tackles for loss and a forced fumble against Philly in Week 3? He was instrumental in the unit’s surprising success early on.

But he trailed off late in the year, outperformed by rookie Tyquan Lewis, who offers the Colts the same sort of position flexibility. Lewis is the future.

Hunt’s height – he stands 6-8 – and adaptability will still aid his market value heading into free agency.

“A unique guy inside because of his length and then putting him (at both positions) really kind of extenuated on what he’s really good at,” Ballard said. “We were fortunate to have Margus. We’ll see going forward. We like him. We’ll see how things work out going forward.”

Prediction: He’s gone.

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Player: Mike Mitchell, safety

Age: 31

Mitchell’s value this season came as much off the field as it did on it: He was vital in mentoring 2017 second-round pick Quincy Wilson, so much so that in November Wilson credited him with “saving my season.” Mitchell earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors in just his second start in Indy, but couldn’t shake a nagging calf injury late in the year and never saw the field as consistently as he would have liked.

A 10-year league veteran, Mitchell made it clear in several conversations across the second half of the season that if he were to return to Indianapolis, he won’t play at the same rate he did in 2018, the veteran’s minimum salary. He liked Indy, and Indy liked him. But don’t be surprised if Mitchell’s stay with the Colts is a short one.

Prediction: He’s gone.

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Player: Al Woods, nose tackle

Age: 31

One of those savvy, outspoken veterans that every locker room needs. Woods was a perfect signing in 2017, arriving in Indy on a two-year deal for $4 million. But he was lost for the 2018 season in late December due to injury.

The Colts will want to go younger at this position moving forward.

Prediction: He’s gone.

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Player: Najee Goode, linebacker

Age: 29

Speaking of savvy, outspoken veterans that every locker room needs ... Goode was a pivotal behind-the-scenes player in the Colts’ midseason turnaround, piloting a group of young linebackers that included star Darius Leonard and Anthony Walker. The former Philadelphia Eagle, who won a Super Bowl with Frank Reich back in 2017, would play a game with Leonard on the sidelines each week: On third downs for Andrew Luck and the Colts’ offense, each would guess where Luck was going with the ball. “I was right nine times out of 10,” Goode said. “Darius is getting better though.”

That scene speaks to the role Goode played in 2018. He took Leonard and Walker under his wing, and look at the seasons they had. On top of that, Goode was one of the Colts’ best and most consistent performers on special teams.

Prediction: He’s back.

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Remaining unrestricted free agents: tight end Ryan Hewitt, offensive tackle J’Marcus Webb.

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Restricted free agents

Player: Chester Rogers, wide receiver

Age: 25

This is a tough one to call. The Colts like Rogers, and they’ll have a decision to make if another team makes an offer: Match it, or let him walk? Rogers is just 25, and shed an early-season case of the drops in 2018 to come up with a handful of big-time grabs late in the year. Still, 53 catches and just two touchdowns might not be enough to earn him another contract in Indy.

It’s no secret the Colts are looking to upgrade the receiving unit as a whole in 2019. Whether Rogers has a spot could depend on what other teams feel his value is.

Prediction: 50-50.

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Player: Matthias Farley

Age: 26

Another Ballard favorite, Farley was lost for the year in October with an arm injury. His price won’t be too steep, and he’s proven to be a capable backup behind two starters who’ve battled injuries off-and-on for the last two years, Geathers and Malik Hooker. The Colts will want the insurance at the position.

Best to keep Farley around.

Prediction: He’s back.

Remaining restricted free agents: cornerback Chris Milton, safety Corey Moore, long snapper Luke Rhodes, centers Evan Boehm and Josh Andrews, tight end Ross Travis and running back Jonathan Williams.

Call Star reporter Zak Keefer at (317) 444-6134 and follow him on Twitter: @zkeefer.