Safety Ed Reed, linebackers Dannell Ellerbe and Paul Kruger, and cornerback Cary Williams, have all taken their championship rings and flew the coop, in favor of other teams. It is usual that a Super Bowl team will have their players harvested, but the Ravens were nearly picked clean in NFL free agency right off the bat. Kruger was picked up by thr Cleveland Browns right away.

One might think that a few of those defensive players would have gathered some interest from the Indianapolis Colts, but nothing really came to fruition. There were whispers that Reed may have been interested in Indianapolis, but he ended up joining their AFC South rival Houston Texans. The fact that these players worked under Chuck Pagano in Baltimore didn’t seem to help bring any of them over to the Colts. Instead, now the Colts will have to see Reed at least twice a year, for the remainder of his career.

Instead of throwing big money at big name free agents, the Colts chose to stay mostly quiet, and instead decided to stock up from other areas. Still, it would have been nice to have a few of those championship players with a horseshoe on their helmet.

Reed will become an unrestricted free agent in March, which means any team can make a bid. The nine-time Pro Bowl player will have the chance to stay with the Ravens, go with the highest bidder, or possibly take a chance with a team that is only a few pieces away from making a championship run. The Colts are definitely on the rise, and a defensive presence such as Reed could bring both All-Pro talent and veteran leadership to this young team.

Reed played under Colts head coach Chuck Pagano, both in Baltimore, and in college. Pagano helped scout Reed, and helped to bring him in to the University of Miami in 1997, when Pagano was the defensive backs coach. Pagano and reed won a National  Championship together with the Hurricanes in 2001. From 2008-2011, Pagano and Reed worked together, as coach and player on the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive unit.

If Reed did decide to return to his roots with Pagano, he would also be reuniting with college roommate, Reggie Wayne. Wayne and Reed played together at Miami from 1997-2000. With all of these connections to the current Indianapolis Colts, it seems like Ed Reed might have a lot to consider, when it concerns possibly coming to the Circle City.

The Baltimore Ravens have several players who will be coming up for contracts in the offseason. That obvious fact, coupled with the impending super contract that is on the horizon for quarterback Joe Flacco, may force the ravens to cut ties with some very important pieces of their Super Bowl championship team. In the time of free agency and salary caps, tyring to repeat as champion is now harder than ever before.

Safety Ed Reed, corner back Cary Williams, linebacker Paul Kruger, and wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Jacoby Jones could all possibly become available in free agency. Each player was an important piece of Baltimore’s run through the postseason. Reed, Williams, and Jones were all responsible for big plays in the Super Bowl XLVII win. Boldin and Kruger both had monster games against the Indianapolis Colts in their AFC wild card match-up.

The Indianapolis Colts could use any of these Baltimore players, to help fill holes at various positions. The Colts may even have a leg up on many other teams when it comes to these players, due to Chuck Pagano’s past as a defensive coordinator in Baltimore. The Colts will have money to spend in free agency, and they might just spend some of it on a Baltimore Raven.