We take a closer look at the Bernhard Raimann contract numbers
The Indianapolis Colts have been one of the more up-and-down teams in recent years, which has also coincided with their draft success.
Banking heavily on traits, the Colts have hit on a few major picks, but have also had their fair share of misses.
One of those hits was 2022 third-round pick Bernhard Raimann, who came into the NFL as a project and has developed into one of the better tackles in the NFL. Recently, Raimann was considered an honorable mention on ESPN’s Top 10 tackle rankings, where NFL coaches, scouts, and executives were asked to give their opinions.
At 27, Raimann is one of the key cogs on the Colts offense, becoming a bookend left tackle alongside left guard Quenton Nelson.
Being a third-round pick, Raimann was slated to be a free agent at the end of the 2025 season and the Colts have generally looked to keep their stars in-house, re-signing players like Nelson, Braden Smith, Michael Pittman, and Jonathan Taylor, among others. Raimann was the next guy on the list, agreeing to terms earlier this week.
Contract numbers for Bernhard Raimann
The Colts gave Raimann a four-year, $100 million extension despite the two sides reportedly being far apart on negotiations last week. The deal includes $60 million in guaranteed money.
Comparing Berhard Raimann’s contract to other NFL tackles
There’ve been quite a few tackle contracts that have flooded the market over the past few years, with Tristan Wirfs’s five-year, $140.6 million contract topping the position last offseason.
Recently, the Green Bay Packers signed rising star Zach Tom to a four-year, $88 million contract with incentives that can reach a max value of $92 million. That seemed like a good baseline for Raimann — and could have even been the trigger for a deal getting done. Raimann may not be at the level of Tom yet, but was in a good position as the player still waiting to sign.
Other deals to keep in mind could be Andrew Thomas’s five-year, $117.5 million deal with $67 million in total guarantees or Jordan Mailata’s three-year, $66 million deal last offseason.
Evaluating Bernhard Raimann’s new deal with the Colts
Raimann is looking at a sizable bump in pay. I thought a three-year deal made more sense based on Raimann’s age and the Colts’ recent contract history. Then he could have potentially hit the open market for a final deal, while the Colts aren’t tied too long to a player already nearing the wrong side of 30.
Guarantee structure will be important, and we don’t have all the details on that yet, but two years and a signing bonus should be fully guaranteed for Raimann, with the opportunity for some added guarantees with other bonuses.
I projected him at three years, $70 million, $48 million guaranteed, so receiving the larger amount of guaranteed money is an absolute win for the tackle. That $23.3 million average annual value is nearly right on with the $25 million he received from Indianapolis.
