Colts Re-Sign Tight End Dwayne Allen to 4-Year Deal [POLL]

Despite a down 2015 campaign, the Indianapolis Colts' front office apparently thinks highly enough of Tight End Dwayne Allen to pay him $29.4 million over the next four years.

Allen confirmed the new contract Monday evening on Twitter.

The team confirmed the new deal 30 minutes later with a tweet of their own.

The question now becomes whether or not Allen's new deal spells the end of Coby Fleener's time with the franchise. Both tight ends were slated to hit the free agent market this week, and with a monstrous new contract looming on the horizon for quarterback Andrew Luck, many believe the team won't be able to afford keeping both around for another run, including Zak Keefer who covers the team for The Indianapolis Star.

Both were taken in the 2012 NFL Draft, with Fleener being selected with the team's first pick in the second round (number 34 overall). Allen was taken one round later with the first pick in the third round (64th overall). Both have made strong contributions to the team, with Fleener no doubt being selected not only for his athletic ability at the position, but his built-in chemistry with Andrew Luck having been the QB's teammate at Standford.

Fleener has only missed four games in his entire pro career, all of which took place during his rookie season. Since joining the Colts, he's racked up 183 receptions for over 2,100 yards receiving, and 17 touchdowns. His biggest weakness being his ability to block at the line of scrimmage when called upon.

On the flip side, Allen's blocking ability is one of his strengths, and one reason his production was down in 2015 as he was asked to bolster a weak offensive line by taking on the responsibility as an extra blocker. The revolving door of quarterback's last season didn't help his output either.

With that said, Allen has only played all 16 games in one of his four seasons, that being his rookie year. He missed all but one game of the 2013 season with a hip injury, and has dealt with a few other injuries every year since then that saw him miss three games in each of the past two seasons. With that said, he did haul in eight touchdowns in 2014 despite only receiving the ball 29 times, tying him for fifth in the League that season with — Coby Fleener.

I would love to see the team find a way to keep both, however between the two, I would have preferred to see them keep Fleener over Allen even though I've been high on Allen since he joined the team. I won't put all the blame on him for a poor 2015, but his injury history is a bit of concern for me.

With that said, I'm not ruling out the possibility of the team resigning Fleener as well. Until I hear or see a report that says he's signed with another team, I'll hold onto the hope the teams' number cruncher's are trying to devise a new contract that will both reward Fleener for his contributions thus far, and allow the team to give Andrew Luck the money he deserves without sacrificing too much in terms of getting him the protection he needs on the offensive line. It may very well be nothing more than a pipe dream, but I'm going to hold onto it until I hear otherwise.

What do you think? Did the Colts make the right move in bringing back Dwayne Allen? Cast your vote in the poll below.