Before the Indianapolis Colts can begin their season, they need to resolve Jonathan Taylor’s contract situation first. The NFL’s leading rusher from 2021 is currently on the physically unable to perform list while nursing an ankle injury, but he’s also in the last year of his rookie contract and wants an extension.
Earlier reports suggested teams around the league were preparing their best trade offers for the All-Pro running back and wanted to present a ‘real’ contract to the 24-year-old star. We’ve yet to see those trades materialize, and now one NFL insider provides a strong reason why.
“I don’t sense there’s a great trade market for him (Taylor) right now, because GMs that I’ve spoken to have said, ‘we’re not going to give up draft compensation and then be expected to pay a guy in a year. Right now would be a one-year rental essentially for Taylor. With the saturated running back (market) next offseason when it looks like the value of running backs will continue to go down. It does not seem like a great proposition for Taylor right now. He’s still on the physically unable to perform list with his ankle injury, so once he comes off of that, that’s when the real drama begins.”
Jeff Darlington explaining Jonathan Taylor situation on ESPN
As Darlington states, Taylor holds very little leverage right now. He’s under contract for the season and still isn’t healthy enough to play. Plus, the current market isn’t prepared to shell out large extensions to running backs. There’s also the realization that other productive backs like Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott, Kareem Hunt, and more remain available as free agents without having to part with any trade compensation.
We’re still watching and waiting to learn what happens next in the Taylor saga, but as Darlington notes, the real drama begins once the running back comes off the PUP list.