The Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins were in talks about a blockbuster deal that would have sent star running back Jonathan Taylor to South Beach.
Talks reportedly broke down ahead of Indianapolis’ self-imposed Tuesday afternoon deadline to trade the 2021 NFL rushing champion. Instead, Taylor was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List and will miss at least the first four games of the regular season.
We’re now hearing more on trade talks between the Colts and Dolphins surrounding the disgruntled star. It’s an absolute doozy.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, trade discussions included Indianapolis asking for star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle in return for Taylor. Jackson notes that Indianapolis made more reasonable trade offers during a week-long set of negotiations with Miami. But if asking for one of the best wide receivers in the game was part of the conversations, things were never going to develop.
“Jaylen Waddle would not be available to anybody,” Miami Dolphins GM Chris Grier told reporters Tuesday when asked about Waddle’s availability.
The No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Alabama, Waddle broke out big time as a sophomore last season. The 24-year-old caught 75 passes for 1,356 yards and eight touchdowns. He also led the NFL with 18.1 yards per reception while hauling in 64% of his targets. If that weren’t enough, Dolphins quarterbacks boasted a 119.5 passer rating when targeting the youngster.
Related: Ranking Jaylen Waddle and the NFL’s top wide receivers
From Indianapolis’ perspective, it doesn’t hurt to bring up a player in trade talks. But given the disparity between wide receiver and running back values in today’s NFL, nothing was going to happen on this front. Add in the fact that Waddle has at least two more years left in his rookie deal and Taylor is set to hit free agency next March, and that’s magnified further.
Jonathan Taylor remains with the Indianapolis Colts for now
The earliest Taylor will be traded is when he’s able to come off the PUP list after Week 4. We still expect something to happen on that front given his trade request and the Colts’ willingness to move the star young running back. It’s now just going to be a protracted process.
Taylor, 24, led the NFL in rush attempts (332), rushing yards (1,811) and rushing touchdowns (18) as a sophomore back in 2021. He missed six games this past season to an ankle injury that’s still bothering the young back.
Related: Jonathan Taylor’s status among the top NFL running backs
As for the Dolphins, they’ll rely on a combination of veterans Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson after seeking an upgrade at running back throughout the offseason. In addition to Taylor, Miami was in on Pro Bowler Dalvin Cook before he ultimately signed with the division-rival New York Jets.