A Friday report placed the Giants in the lead for Jonathan Taylor, but the former rushing champion trekking to New York does not look like the most likely scenario. Although more interest has come in this week for the standout running back, the Colts keeping him and regrouping in 2027 is firmly in play.
No team has come close to meeting Indianapolis’ asking price for Taylor, The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero reports. The Colts have wanted the equivalent of a first-round pick for the seventh-year back, and while an offer of a second-rounder and another pick is believed to have come in, it does not appear Indy is getting the Christian McCaffrey-like haul it desires. If the Colts want to cash in on Taylor now — and there is a good argument they should — they will probably need to lower their price.
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Taylor has stayed healthy over the past two seasons, but he experienced injury trouble in the three prior campaigns. The 2021 rushing champion will also turn 28 in January, and not using this season as a marketing tool could see the team receive even worse offers if it opts to stand pat and see where the market is at in the offseason.
Though, the Colts also could decide to keep Taylor — who signed a two-year, $44MM extension this summer –and pair him with a to-be-determined quarterback next year and perhaps beyond.
Indy does view the RB as part of a potential rebuild, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. As the Titans’ Jeffery Simmons trade showed, plans can change. But with offers not meeting the Colts’ expectations, the prospect of the team not cashing in on a prime asset — at a non-premium position — appears real.
The Broncos, Packers, Seahawks and Vikings join the Giants in the Taylor mix as of Saturday, The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones adds. Denver and Green Bay appear unlikely to submit a big offer here. With Jonah Coleman emerging and the Broncos having already traded seven first- or second-round picks since 2022, they would probably be wise to resist Taylor temptation. The Packers have Josh Jacobs in limbo, after more allegations of domestic violence came out last week, but the NFL has not issued a suspension since taking the RB off the commissioner’s exempt list.
Jones ultimately believes Taylor will be traded by Tuesday’s deadline; the Colts would risk seeing a key avenue to add draft capital for a rebuild close if Taylor suffers another injury during the season’s second half. Pelissero’s report about the team receiving a second-rounder and another pick may have involved a 2/5 proposal, Jones adds, though some teams do not believe that has emerged. McCaffrey — a more dynamic player who had less tread on his tires when traded in 2022 — went for a 2/3/4/5 package. Taylor is unlikely to generate that kind of return at this stage of his career, but the Colts look to be holding out hope the proposals improve in the days leading up to the deadline.
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