As we’ve seen in recent weeks, NFL RBs are not happy with how they are being “underpaid”. Some of the league’s top rushers have been holding out, hoping for a bigger contract. That has not been the case for most players. Colts’ RB Jonathan Taylor is due for an extension, but the long-term deal hasn’t been offered just yet.
Taylor and Colts’ owner Jim Irsay met over the weekend and shortly after, the All-Pro RB announced that he was requesting a trade. However, Irsay publicly said that he has no plans to trade Jonathan Taylor. It was reported that the Colts were going to put him on the non-football injury list for back pains. The 24-year-old refuted having any backs problems. Leaving the two sides at a crossroads.
Will Jonathan Taylor and the Colts be able to settle their differences before the season starts?
Jonathan Taylor’s response after reports that the Colts are considering placing him on non-football injury list for a back injury 👀 pic.twitter.com/ifytvgJEKI
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 31, 2023
Colts’ owner Jim Irsay has been very vocal saying that NFL RBs are not “underpaid”. A number of the league’s best players would tell you otherwise. One of them is a player on the Colts who’s clearly not happy with his current situation. Jonathan Taylor wants to be paid like one of the league’s best RBs, but Jim Irsay is strongly against that.
In 2021, Johnathan Taylor was a dominant force for the Indianapolis Colts. He left the NFL in rushing attempts, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns in a season where he earned All-Pro honors. His 2022 campaign was shaky due to injuries, but he is still one of the league’s best RBs heading into the 2023 season.
More video of Jonathan Taylor watching the other #Colts RBs pic.twitter.com/QFtSGpKbFb
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) July 31, 2023
ESPN sources have said that the relationship between Taylor and the Colts is as bad as it gets. Clearly, Taylor’s meetings with Jim Irsay did not help the matter at all. In the clip above, you can see Jonathan Taylor in just a jersey watching his teammates practice. That’s because he cannot practice until the team activates him. The two sides are in a standoff right now and it doesn’t look like either side wants to budge. Taylor wants to be paid like one of the league’s best RBs and Jim Irsay couldn’t disagree more.