Stephen Holder

stephen.holder@indystar.com

INDIANAPOLIS – There were so many glimpses. So many tantalizing and tempting glimpses.

That’s what Dwayne Allen might be most remembered for after his five seasons in Indianapolis – not for what he was, but more for what we thought he might become.

But that would no longer be enough to keep Allen with the Indianapolis Colts for a sixth season.

Allen, the team’s once-prized tight end and a key piece of the team’s young, vibrant offense, was abruptly traded to the New England Patriots on Wednesday. Allen confirmed the trade on Twitter. The Colts, according to multiple reports, received a fourth-round draft pick in exchange, while agreeing to send a sixth-round pick to the Patriots to complete the transaction.

It was a stunning move no one saw coming, even after the Colts re-signed fellow tight end Jack Doyle to a three-year deal one day earlier. The trade comes one year after Allen signed a $29.4 million extension that was expected to ensure his place as the team’s primary tight end for four seasons.

But new General Manager Chris Ballard, hired in late January and determined to remake the roster, had other ideas.

• Jack Doyle is staying with Colts

And that’s what’s most notable here.

This wasn’t so much a financial decision, though it does save the Colts some cash (just under $3 million) on their salary cap. Sure, the 27-year old Allen didn’t always meet the expectations of a player who was making a salary in excess of $7 million per season. The dropped passes and the disappearing acts were frustrating, to say the least.

Doyle outshined Allen after the latter caught 35 passes for 406 yards and six touchdowns last season. For that, the Colts paid nearly $12 million of the contract in first-year compensation.

But a picture has emerged from Colts headquarters since the shocking news came down, and it’s one that best be understood by everyone in the Colts locker room.

This is bigger than Allen. This is a message. A loud, unmistakable message. Ballard is setting a tone and setting standards. This is him raising the bar on expectations, and not a minute too soon.

The Colts are nothing if not a mediocre football team, going 16-16 in the past two seasons. Mediocrity cannot be tolerated, Ballard seems to be saying without actually saying a word.

As the Colts move forward in their free agency dealings with both their own players and those from other clubs, it appears this is the approach we can expect.

What the move also says, in no uncertain terms, is that the Colts think the world of Doyle and, to a lesser extent, backup Erik Swoope. Both demonstrated last season that their arrows are pointing up, which clearly was not the case with Allen. Doyle was, in effect, the No. 1 tight end in 2016, meaning he won’t experience much of a change in his role. Swoope had a coming-out party after seeing real playing time for the first time, catching 15 passes for 297 yards and making huge strides as a blocker. Seeing as how he is entering just his third season of organized football – Swoope played basketball at the University of Miami – the Colts have reason to be optimistic about the athletic Swoope.

The Colts also have an opportunity to select from what is expected to be a deep class of tight ends in April’s NFL draft.

Don’t feel too sorry for Allen. He pocketed more than $12 million in 2016 and now gets to play in an offensive system — orchestrated by the future Hall of Fame pair of coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady — that routinely makes stars out of even average players. Belichick and Brady have had great success with tight ends in the past, including current star Rob Gronkowski.

After the trade, Allen posted a heartfelt message on social media.

“I want to give my sincerest thanks to the Irsay family for taking a chance on a kid from Fayetteville, N.C. It's been an honor wearing the horseshoe and representing the Colts on and off the field,” Allen wrote. “My teammates will always be my brothers, and the friends that I've made are for life. I'm both humbled and excited for the challenge ahead of earning the right to be called a New England Patriot. May God continue to bless the city of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis Colts."

The Patriots have reason to be excited about Allen. But, like the Colts, that optimism is based on what he might become, and not what he has already done.

Follow IndyStar reporter Stephen Holder on Twitter: HolderStephen.