Indianapolis Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor has rumored to be traded, but many teams may not want to pay the asking price given by the Colts.
This is a tough situation for many teams including the Colts themselves. From day one of training camp. Taylor has been seeking a new contract while also recovering from off-season ankle surgery. Of course, Taylor’s skill set is not the problem here, the entire situation surrounding him is. This is kind of like the Austin Ekeler situation before training camp. Ekeler eventually went back to the Chargers after there was no interest from other teams.
Update: Executives don’t believe Jonathan Taylor will net the #Colts a 1st round pick/package that is worth that much, via @AlbertBreer
Breer asked multiple execs about how much Taylor is worth in a trade with the new contract involved:
AFC GM: 2nd round pick
AFC exec: 3rd… pic.twitter.com/ubMK1ngQCV— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 22, 2023
The Colts are asking for a first round pick or multiple picks to equate to that. It was reported earlier that Taylor’s value may not be regarded as highly from other NFL executives. Maybe the Colts will just stand pat and keep Taylor on the roster. The injury history this past year is another reason a team may not pay up for an elite running back talent like Taylor. He is still on the PUP list from the ankle injury he suffered last season. it is not really a good sign that he’s still on PUP.
The Indianapolis Colts are +700 to win the AFC South according to Indiana sportsbooks.
Taylor wanting out comes at a bad time. The team just drafted rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson who is seen to be a project. Even though he has tremendous upside, having a running back like Taylor will take some of the pressure of Richardson. If he were to get traded, the running backs behind are Deon Jackson, Zach Moss (currently injured) and rookie Evan Hull. Maybe the Colts have talks again with Kareem Hunt but that remains to be seen.
