11:20pm: Prior to the start of today’s Colts-Jaguars game, CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala reported (video link) Indianapolis is still not actively pursuing a trade at this point. Nothing is guaranteed with respect to Taylor’s future ahead of the deadline, but the possibility of his Colts career continuing will be something to watch closely.
10:01am: Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is perhaps the biggest prize on the trade market at the moment, especially since the Eagles are not making Saquon Barkley available. Over the course of the past week, teams like the Giants, Vikings, Packers, Broncos, and Seahawks have been connected to Taylor.
On Saturday, ESPN’s Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter confirmed that the first four clubs on that list have expressed at least some level of interest in Taylor, and a different Saturday report named the Giants and Vikings as the current frontrunners. Rapoport and Schefter did not explicitly mention Seattle as a potential Taylor destination as they did in their prior piece on the matter, but ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler does name running back as a position the ‘Hawks could target prior to the November 10 deadline.
All of the above-referenced Taylor suitors have experienced an RB issue of some kind in 2026, whether it be injury, underperformance, or off-field concerns. The Chiefs, meanwhile, have returned to prominence in the AFC thanks in large part to their decision to sign former Seahawk Kenneth Walker III in the offseason.
Walker currently leads the NFL in rushing yards per game (116.8) and yards-per-carry rate (5.8). He has already racked up 120 carries for 701 yards and six touchdowns while adding 18 catches for 116 yards and another two scores.
But the only backs behind Walker on the depth chart at present are fifth-round rookie Emmett Johnson, who has just 19 carries this season (tied with quarterback Patrick Mahomes), and undrafted rookie Jaydn Ott, who was just signed from the practice squad last week. While the Chiefs are naturally focused on wide receiver help, James Palmer of NFL on Prime recently reported KC is also monitoring the Taylor situation (video link).
Whether GM Brett Veach would seriously consider coughing up the type of draft capital the Colts are demanding for Taylor when he already has the league-leading rusher on his team and a more pressing need for a pass catcher is obviously unclear. However, Taylor does have a tradeable contract, as we explored previously. An acquiring team would only need to pay him about $4.4MM and up to $1MM in incentives over the remainder of the 2026 season, and his ~$16MM salary for 2027 does not become fully-guaranteed until five days after the Super Bowl.
A Walker/Taylor duo in the Kansas City backfield would be a fearsome one and would allow the Chiefs to take some pressure off of Walker as they pursue the AFC’s No. 1 seed. Still, barring an injury to Walker, Veach may decide that Taylor represents more of a luxury than a need.
Another team that had not been publicly connected to the Taylor sweepstakes is the Bengals, but NFL insider Jordan Schultz says Cincinnati has checked in as well. The Bengals’ involvement is less surprising than the Chiefs’, as Cincy’s RB1, Chase Brown, has mustered just 3.5 yards per carry across 82 attempts and has been outperformed in that regard by Samaje Perine. With quarterback Joe Burrow in the midst of an excellent season for the 4-2 outfit, the Bengals may take a swing to make their rushing attack as formidable as their passing game.
Schultz’s sources also say it is looking more likely than not that the Colts will trade Taylor. Indianapolis has already rejected an offer featuring a second-round pick plus another selection, and Rapoport (video link) believes the club could be seeking a package akin to the one the Panthers obtained from the 49ers when they traded Christian McCaffrey in 2022 (a second-, third-, fourth-, and fifth-round pick).
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