Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton has enjoyed an illustrious career but now faces an uncertain offseason in which he will be a free agent unless a deal gets done.

With the way general manager Chris Ballard operates, we may not know about a potential deal until a month into the offseason. But Ballard said in his year-end press conference that he still values Hilton and believes the 30-year-old can play.

“As to his ability. T.Y. can still play. Whether it’s at the level it was 4 or 5 years ago, as you get older, you have to find different ways,” Ballard said last week. “But I’ll tell you this, T.Y. is smart, instinctive, knows how to get open and he still has value. We’ll see how it works out here over the long haul. But we value T.Y. and we think he can still play. And he’s been a great Colt.”

Hilton got off to a very slow start on the season, and it appeared free agency would be almost a guarantee. But his second half of the campaign was much better and included a stretch of dominant games.

But more than what Hilton brought to the field in terms of production, Ballard lauded the veteran for his leadership and his ability to lead a room.

“He’s always been a great player, but how he has grown, as a teammate, man, he’s really special dude. T.Y. Hilton is a really special dude. Before we played Buffalo, I walked up and I said, ‘I love you. I do.’ T.Y. is not the most emotional guy but he gave me a hug,” Ballard said. “He’s special man, as a person, and as a teammate, and as a competitor.”

It will be interesting to see what will happen with Hilton in the offseason but there’s a chance the Colts value him enough to bring him back on a short contract.