Colts owner alludes to potential '9-figure' contract for Andrew Luck

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay is confident that his club will reach a long-term extension with franchise quarterback Andrew Luck in the offseason.

Luck will earn $16.1 million for the upcoming season and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in 2017.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Monday that the team is optimistic about striking a long-term deal with Luck.

Irsay appeared to confirm the report Tuesday.

"Obviously being this early, there's no reason to think that we would have had major negotiations yet, but that's going to be happening as this month gets later and March comes in and all that sort of thing," Irsay said Tuesday to ESPN's Mike Wells. "I think there's a good chance we'll get something done."

Luck is widely expected to become the NFL's highest-paid player and Irsay alluded to a potential nine-figure contract.

"Whether it's going to be the highest and all those sort of thing, we'll see how that goes," Irsay said. "... I see Andrew here, God willing, for a really long time, and this won't be his last contract. With him at 26 years old, it's going to be ringing the bell in terms of nine figures and that sort of thing."

Irsay, however, warned about the perils of paying Luck a sum that would detract from the team's ability to improve their roster.

"To me, it's not a matter of what the number is going to be, but again, making sure that we have room to surround him with a championship football team and that it's as cap friendly as it can be as we go through the end of this decade from 2016 to 2020," Irsay said. "You want to make it cap friendly and you want to have the ability to possibly alter it as time goes on to help the cap in different things like that."

Although he's coming off an injury-ridden campaign that saw the Colts miss the playoffs for the time in his carer, Luck appears in line for a massive contract that could set a precedent for future star pivots.