Ricky Jean Francois Cut by Colts: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

Two years into a four-year contract he signed prior to the 2013 season, defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois has been released by the Indianapolis Colts.  

ESPN's Adam Caplan has the news: 

In 16 games (13 starts) last season, the 28-year-old recorded 34 combined tackles, three sacks and six pass deflections. As The Indianapolis Star's Gregg Doyel noted, he also had value in his work ethic and locker room presence: 

At the end of the day, though, the NFL is a business, and Jean Francois simply wasn't living up to the $5.5 million he will be owed in each of the next two seasons. According to OverTheCap.com, this move will save the Colts over $10 million in cap space with $1.9 million in dead money in 2015 and '16 combined. 

According to agent Drew Rosenhaus, Jean Francois "expects an active market," via NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.  

This move makes the defensive line even more of a priority for Indy, as Colts.com's Kevin Bowen pointed out: 

The Colts have the 29th pick in the upcoming draft, but free agency may be a more likely route to fill out the D-line. With free agency set to begin in early March, general manager Ryan Grigson has the sixth-largest amount of cap space in the NFL. 

He'll just be hoping whatever additions he makes work out a little better than Jean Francois. 

Stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.