Johnathan Hankins, Colts Agree to 3-Year Contract After 4 Seasons with Giants

The Indianapolis Colts announced they reached an agreement Thursday with defensive lineman Johnathan Hankins. 

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the deal is for three years and $30 million. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network noted the deal comes with $15.9 million in guaranteed money.

Hankins sent out a message on Twitter after the news broke thanking the New York Giants:

"

I want to thank the Giants organization for giving me the opportunity to play the game I love. Especially, to the Mara and Tisch families for welcoming me and supporting me for the last four years. Thank you to my teammates for going to battle every game with me. I appreciate everything this organization has given me and my family. Thank you to all of the fans. I will never forget Big Blue Nation.

"

Hankins is coming off another solid season for the Giants. The run-stuffing tackle, a second-round selection of the G-Men in the 2013 NFL draft, tallied 43 combined tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble while starting all 16 games.

In all, the 25-year-old Ohio State product has racked up 140 combined tackles, 10 sacks and three forced fumbles in his first four years in the league.

Numbers don't always tell the entire story when it comes to defensive tackles, though. A lot of their impact comes from being able to take on and shed multiple blockers to open up lanes for other members of the front seven to make plays.

Hankins, while inconsistent, has shown he can be among the league's top assets in that role when playing at the top of his game. Pro Football Focus rated him as the 69th-best player in the NFL for 2014.

More recently, PFF listed him among the Giants' bright spots in their playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers:

After the season, Hankins told Dan Duggan of NJ Advance Media he hoped to remain with the Giants but admitted the team's decision was out of his control.

"Obviously I would definitely want to come back, but it ain't always up to me," he said. "So we'll see how everything turns out."

The Giants decided to move forward without him, however, in large part due to the financial resources already locked into the defensive line. They'll look to fill the void with a cheaper option, which figures to put more pressure on Damon Harrison in the middle.

Meanwhile, look for Hankins to immediately step into a key role up front in Indy. His presence will be welcome after the Colts finished 25th against the run last season, giving up 120.4 yards per game to opposing rushing attacks.