There has been a lot of discussion recently about the future of Indianapolis Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor. The state of the running back position around the league led to some ugliness between the two sides early on in training camp.
Upon reporting to the team, Taylor was placed on the physically unable to perform list. He did undergo a procedure on his ankle during the offseason, but it wasn’t something that was expected to keep him sidelined during training camp.
The Colts also designated him with a back injury, which Taylor disputed and said wasn’t true. General manager Chris Ballard made it crystal clear that an extension for the star running back wasn’t coming this offseason and owner Jim Irsay made some bizarre comments as well about the situation.
That all culminated in Taylor asking for a trade from the franchise. Interest in him around the league is reportedly high, but no deal is expected to come to fruition. That is because, according to ProFootballTalk, the Colts want to retain Taylor beyond 2023.
“So far, it has. And even though Taylor reportedly wants to be traded, the Colts want to keep Taylor — not just for this year, but over the long term.
The open question continues to be the manner in which that will happen. Will it be a long-term deal, or will they tag him once or twice after 2023, when his rookie contract expires?”
Based on how things went for free agent running backs this offseason, ‘long-term’ could very well be the franchise tag being used once or twice. Tony Pollard, Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs all had the franchise tag placed on them this offseason and were unable to come to an agreement on a long-term deal.
For the Colts, the same decision will lie ahead of them in 2024. Taylor is entering the final season of his rookie contract and will be seeking a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid players at his position in the NFL.
With franchises around the league devaluing the running back position, it will be interesting to see what kind of deal, if any, Taylor is offered by the Colts next offseason.
