Indianapolis Colts sign S Austin Brown

Austin Brown's three-year, $3.1M signing earns a C+ Contract Value Index (CVI), a straightforward depth-piece commitment that reflects modest demand and replacement-level upside. At $1.03M AAV, this is fitting compensation for a safety in the reserve-rotational tier — neither a bargain nor an overpay, just market-rate for a player unlikely to anchor a secondary. The Colts, sitting at 8-9 and out of playoff contention heading into the offseason, are making a low-risk, low-ceiling addition that costs virtually nothing against the cap and carries zero dead-money exposure. This is the kind of signing that happens because a team needs bodies in a secondary depth chart, not because front office sees a breakout trajectory — it's insurance, not an investment. The CVI holds steady because the deal's structure and salary are perfectly calibrated to what Brown's profile warrants; there's no mispricing in either direction, just prudent roster maintenance in the preseason window.