The Indianapolis Colts have set a Tuesday deadline to complete a Jonathan Taylor trade after granting the 2021 NFL rushing champion permission to seek a deal with other teams.
It was noted recently that the Miami Dolphins are among two teams that have had serious trade discussions with Indianapolis. The other team is not yet known.
According to this report from NFL insider Armando Salguero, Indianapolis has already declined multiple trade offers for the star young running back.
Salguero shares that no team has offered Indianapolis’ asking price of a first-round pick for the impending free agent.
There is a lot to look at here. It’s unreasonable to believe that any team will offer up a first-round pick for a running back in today’s climate. The devaluation of this position around the NFL has been a major talking point over the past several months. Meanwhile, Taylor is coming off an injury-plagued season in which he missed six games with an ankle issue. Add in the fact that he wants a market-setting contract, and there are a ton of complexities that come with trade talks.
According to Salguero, only two teams have presented serious offers to the Colts for Taylor. One of them is the aforementioned Dolphins. Indianapolis is said to have already rejected the Dolphins’ initial offer. The Chicago Bears reportedly are not one of those teams. Previously linked to the Denver Broncos, a recent report indicates that they have no interest in moving the draft capital it would require to trade for Taylor.
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Jonathan Taylor stats (2020-22): 3,841 rushing yards, 802 receiving yards, 36 TD
Back in 2021, Taylor led the NFL in rush attempts (332), rushing yards (1,811) and rushing touchdowns (18). There is no question how dynamic he is when the Wisconsin product is actually on the field.
Miami makes sense as a fit given its interest in fellow Pro Bowler Dalvin Cook prior to the New York Jets signing the running back earlier in the summer. Right now, Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson share RB1 duties for Mike McDaniel’s squad.
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The Los Angeles Rams were bandied about as a potential landing spot earlier in the process. But given their status as a team that’s rebuilding, a fit is questionable.
Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles are two other teams who have at least showed some interest. Buffalo is set to ride with second-year player James Cook at RB1. As for the defending NFC Champion Eagles, Kenneth Gainwell joins offseason acquisitions D’Andre Swift and Rashaad Penny in what will be a running back by committee approach.
Regardless of what happens in the next several hours, the Tuesday deadline Indianapolis set is pretty soft. It coincides with NFL rosters having to be cut down to 53. In no way does this mean that a deal can’t be done after Tuesday.