Colts running back Jonathan Taylor received the blessing of the team to seek a trade on Monday, according to multiple reports.
The disgruntled Taylor is dealing with an ankle injury and informed the Colts he wanted to move on after a face-to-face meeting with team owner Jim Irsay. Irsay informed Taylor that a long-term contract offer would not be extended until the end of the 2023 season.
Taylor, who is on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list after offseason ankle surgery, left the team the twice during training camp, ostensibly to rehab his ankle out of state.
Taylor is in the final year of his contract and has a base salary of $4.3 million. Given recent contracts for players at the position, it’s unclear where Taylor’s asking price with the Colts was set or if he’d consider a short-term deal to grease the skids for a trade out of Indy.
The Colts shared no details about the rehab protocol or process in place and head coach Shane Steichen effectively stopped discussing Taylor’s status last week.
“Now, he’s finishing his rehab process,” Colts general manager Chris Ballard told SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Hopefully, as we move forward here, we’ll get him back. But we need to get him 100 percent healthy before we do anything.”
An All-Pro in 2021, Taylor led the NFL in rushing that year with 1,811 yards. In his three NFL seasons, he has amassed 3,841 yards on the ground with 33 touchdowns, and 802 yards receiving with three scores.
–Field Level Media