The one-year deal that cornerback Brandon Facyson signed with the Colts earlier this month is worth $3.84MM, per Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. That is roughly the same money that Indy gave Xavier Rhodes in 2020 — a season in which Rhodes would start all 16 games — and it cements Facyson as a legitimate threat to win a starting job as a boundary CB.
Further underscoring the Colts’ faith in Facyson is the fact that, one day after acquiring him, GM Chris Ballard traded fellow corner Rock Ya-Sin to the Raiders in exchange for edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue. As Erickson writes, Facyson will indeed have a chance to replace Ya-Sin in Indianapolis’ starting lineup.
Ballard was not the only GM interested in Facyson’s services. According to Erickson, the Raiders — with whom Facyson made a name for himself last season after three nondescript years with the Chargers — were pursuing a re-up, and another club was also in the mix. However, Facyson elected to follow defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and DB coach Ron Milus from Las Vegas to Indianapolis. Facyson has worked under Bradley and Milus exclusively during his four professional seasons, first with the Chargers and then with the Raiders, and when the Colts hired both men this offseason, Facyson had largely made up his mind.
“I ultimately had like three teams really come after me, but in my head, I always kind of knew where I wanted to be,” Facyson said. “I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to play with Gus and Milo. … It definitely was a big impact on me coming to Indianapolis.”
In 12 games (nine starts) for Las Vegas in 2021, Facyson racked up 55 tackles and 13 passes defensed, along with his first career interception. Pro Football Focus was not high on his work, giving him a subpar 51.7 overall grade, but he did limit opponents to a 59.1% completion percentage and 7.2 yards per attempt, both of which are solid enough numbers. And, given the interest he attracted on the open market, it’s clear that evaluators of defensive talent — particularly Bradley and Milus — believe there is more potential to be unlocked.
Of course, Facyson is not assured of a starting job. The Colts do not have much depth behind him, Kenny Moore, and Isaiah Rodgers at this point, so there will be another addition or two, which could push the Virginia Tech product down the pecking order.