Insider: Locker-room culture a big factor in free agency for Colts GM Chris Ballard

INDIANAPOLIS – Free-agent news around the NFL has been coming in flurries during the two-day legal tampering period when impending free agents may negotiate with other teams.

The Kansas City Chiefs reportedly are giving mercurial wide receiver Sammy Watkins more than $30 million in guaranteed money. The Jacksonville Jaguars are preparing to make Andrew Norwell the highest-paid offensive lineman in the league, at more than $13 million per season.

And then there are the Indianapolis Colts, who have done, well, nothing.

Go ahead and cue the inevitable and obnoxious screaming and yelling from a frustrated fan base.

No, the Colts have not been among the more active teams during the negotiating window. Never mind the fact that actual signings aren’t permitted until 4 p.m. on Wednesday. The panic has already ensued. It’s what fans do.

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But there are a few things you should know before you commence with your meltdown.

First, there’s the obvious: General Manager Chris Ballard told you his plan was to be judicious with free agency. If you failed to listen, it is not because his message wasn’t clear.

But, more important, there’s the why: Ballard is a huge believer in the draft, something that isn’t going to change, no matter how much salary-cap space the Colts have.

What’s critical to understand, however, is the reason he’s taking that approach. And it isn’t because the Colts are trying to save some cash. Owner Jim Irsay will spend whatever it takes to win, sometimes at the peril of his own team (see the last regime’s free agency failures as evidence).

Rather than cash concerns, Ballard’s apprehension stems from culture concerns.

See, the Colts, who are still in the early stages of a dramatic rebuilding effort, don’t yet have an identity – at least in Ballard’s mind. They don’t have a strong and established culture. Ballard has said, from the beginning of his tenure, this would be an important factor in his approach toward free agency.

Per usual with Ballard, all you have to do is listen to him.

“We’ll get into free agency a little bit but, like I said, you can’t buy a locker room,” Ballard said in 2017 interview. “You have to be very careful when you enter free agency.”

The balance of an NFL locker room is particularly delicate. Players are keenly aware of who gets paid what. They read the headlines just as you do, even if they refuse to admit it.

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And, in Ballard’s mind, whether the Colts have an established enough locker room to withstand the insertion of outside players with mega-contracts – not to mention habits that may or may not jibe with the Colts’ culture – is still an open question.

This is not to say the Colts won’t sign any free agents. If you were around this time last year, you know nothing could be further from the truth. The Colts’ 2017 opening-day roster featured five starting defensive players who were free agents signed by Ballard earlier in the year. There will be more moves this year, even if they don’t compare to Allen Robinson’s reported $42 million deal with Chicago.

Ballard isn’t opposed to free agency. What he is opposed to is free agents comprising the core of his team. His preference is to build from within, establish that lacking culture and then, perhaps, become more aggressive on the free-agent market.

“We’ll continue to do it the right way and build,” Ballard said. “You’re never one player away – ever. That’s what happens. People get in panic mode and they think, ‘Man, we’re one player away,’ and you’re never one player away. You just keep building and adding pieces that have talent. … And you can’t be timid about playing your own guys. They’ve got to compete and they’ve got to earn it, but you can’t be timid about putting those (young) guys on the field and letting them play and learn from mistakes because that’s how they’re going to grow.”

To be clear, none of this guarantees Ballard will get it right. He might flame out two years from now, relegated to seeking a job as some team’s advance scout. Or he might knock it out of the park with his approach and the Colts will go on a years-long run.

No one knows.

But here’s what we can say, with certainty, today: Ballard is big on principles, and he doesn’t view those principles as negotiable. He’s going to adhere closely to his philosophies – no matter how obnoxious the screaming may get.

Follow Colts Insider Stephen Holder on Twitter: @HolderStephen.