There appears to be some confusion as to what the Colts would receive, by way of compensation, if Indianapolis does not match the Bengals offer for restricted free agent Tight End Ben Utecht. It's believed the Bengals signed Utecht to a three-year deal worth around $9 million.
There's two major things to note. The biggest is what the original team tenders their restricted free agent. The tender determines the compensation. The highest tender this season is $2.562 million giving the original team a first and third round pick if they do not match the offer signed by the new team. If the original team offered $2.017 million, then the compensation is a first round pick. If the original team offered $1.417 million, the compensation is a second round pick.
The lowest tender a team can offer their restricted free agent is $927,000. Compensation is determined by the round that the restricted free agent was drafted in.
The Colts tendered Utecht the lowest. Since he was an undrafted free agent, the Bengals won't have to give anything to the Colts. And consider that the deal could be around the $9 million range, with the Colts always against the cap, it's very unlikely that they'll match.