Another layer has been added to the situation between star running back Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts gave permission to Taylor to seek a trade but put a deadline of August 29th to find a trade partner.

The deadline came and went without a deal getting done and the Colts opted to keep him on the PUP-List. That means that Taylor will be sidelined for at least the first four games of the season, but it doesn’t mean the team cannot still trade him.

Despite the Colts’ self-imposed deadline passing, interest in Taylor around the league reportedly still exists. That shouldn’t be too surprising as Taylor has proven to be one of the most productive running backs in the NFL when healthy.

But, for all of the same reasons that another team would want to trade for Taylor, shouldn’t the Colts want to retain him? That is something Nick Wright of FS1 suggested that Indianapolis should do, as Taylor is the perfect player for the situation that they are currently in.

The situation that Wright is referring to is that the Colts are working a new rookie quarterback into their lineup in Anthony Richardson. A running back is a young quarterback’s best friend and given how raw of a player Richardson is, it would seemingly be even more important to surround him with a strong running game.

Wright also cites the contract situation. Taylor is seeking a long-term contract from the Colts or anyone else around the league. Indianapolis is in a good spot to offer him a deal and have it come off the books before Richardson needs to get paid at the end of his rookie deal should he earn it.

Given some of the reports about how negotiations went between the Colts and Miami Dolphins, Wright could be onto something about the Colts not really wanting to move on from Taylor. Indianapolis reportedly asked Miami for star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle in trade talks, to which the South Beach regime responded with laughter.