The Indianapolis Colts officially signed wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. to a three-year contract extension worth up to $71.5M. After receiving the franchise tag the week prior, it was only a matter of time before Pittman’s big payday would arrive. This contract now puts him within the top 10 of the highest-paid wide receivers in the league. According to the Pro Football Network, Pittman’s average annual value is $23.3M which currently ranks eighth. This puts him in the company of wide receivers like Deebo Samuel, Calvin Ridley, and Stefon Diggs.
Throughout Pittman’s career, there has been debate on whether or not he deserves to be in the conversation of top-tier wide receivers. That is to say, the one receiver on a roster that makes up the majority of the production. In 2023, he proved that he could be a top-tier receiver in the league. He is already one that his quarterback can rely on and he has proven that he can give defenses nightmares.
What Makes Michael Pittman Jr. a Candidate to be a Top-Tier Wide Receiver
His Productivity Continues to Improve
Since coming into the league in 2020, Pittman has continued to be more productive as a wide receiver. After a semi-breakout season in 2021 with Carson Wentz at quarterback, Pittman took a bit of a dip in productivity when Matt Ryan was his quarterback in 2022. In that 2021 season, he finished with 88 receptions for 1,082 yards and six touchdowns. His total receptions ranked 17th in the league and his total yards ranked 18th among receivers. He also finished with 129 targes which was tied for 17th.
Fast forward to 2023 and his numbers and production skyrocketed. In that year, he finished with 109 receptions on 159 targets for 1,152 yards and four touchdowns. Keep in mind, that this production came with Gardner Minshew as his quarterback for the majority of the season. This production also came with two fewer games started than in 2021. In 2023, Pittman ranked fifth in total receptions, 14th in total yards, and ninth in total targets. looking at his production alone, it is clear to see that he continues to put up bigger numbers. Therefore, with him staying in Indianapolis for at least the next three years, it will interesting to see his climb to greatness as he catches passes from explosive quarterback Anthony Richardson.
His Efficiency as a Wide Receiver
Aside from plain on-the-field numbers, another indicator of a top-tier wide receiver is his efficiency when the ball comes. In 2023, Pittman was Gardner Minshew’s go-to receiver and the efficiency speaks for itself. On 19 red zone targets, Pittman had 14 receptions which ranked ninth in the league. He ranked 10th in yards after the catch with 513 yards and ranked 11th in contested catch rate. He finished with 57.7%. In terms of his success as a route runner, Pittman ranked 4th in total routes won with 287. He also won 47.9% of the time against man coverage and won 61.3% of the time against zone coverage. This ranked 8th in the league.
While Michael Pittman Jr. is not yet considered a top-tier wide receiver, he is on his way there. With his resume and efficiency, he can easily achieve that feat sooner rather than later.
Main Photo: [Trevor Ruskowski] – USA Today Sports
