Jonathan Taylor is still a Colt heading into regular season. Now what?

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Ben Arthur

AFC South Reporter

It appears that Jonathan Taylor‘s contract saga with the Colts will drag into the regular season.

The star running back — who requested a trade last month amid a contract stalemate with Indianapolis — wasn’t traded ahead of final roster cuts, and was moved to the Colts’ Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list to begin 2023.

Here’s a look at what it all means for Taylor, the Colts and interested teams moving forward:

What does Reserve/PUP mean for Taylor’s status?

Taylor will have to miss at least the team’s first four games of the regular season — against the Jaguars, Texans, Ravens and Rams. He will get paid his base salary for those four weeks on PUP. He’s due $4.304 million for the season, which ranks 18th among running backs in 2023.

Could he still be traded?

Yes. ESPN reported last week that the Colts gave Taylor a Tuesday deadline to find a trade partner, corresponding with the NFL’s roster-cut deadline, but trade talks could continue until 4 p.m. ET on Oct. 31, the league’s trade deadline. Indianapolis would have nothing to lose to continue gauging the market for the disgruntled running back.

Does Reserve/PUP hurt Taylor’s trade value?

It’s possible, but from the perspective of an inquiring team, you’re trading for what he could give you over two-plus seasons (an acquiring team likely doesn’t trade for him without planning to extend him). His short-term absence to start the season shouldn’t be a major deterrence to serious contenders.

Jonathan Taylor headlines Chris Broussard’s Under Duress List

What’s the state of his health?

Taylor’s injury status remains a mystery, the biggest question mark.

The Colts placed him on PUP at the onset of training camp for his ankle, which he had surgically repaired in January. He didn’t practice this training camp or offseason. He missed six games and was limited in others last season with a high-ankle sprain.

According to The Indianapolis Star, Taylor had a procedure called arthroscopic debridement, with a return to play of two to four weeks. But he hasn’t participated in football activities for the Colts in more than eight months, last playing on Dec. 17 against the Minnesota Vikings.

So his injury timeline remains unclear. Earlier this month, Taylor spent time rehabbing away from the team.

While it’s fair to scrutinize whether Taylor is actually injured, one can argue that sitting doesn’t help his value in hopes of a trade. By practicing, interested teams would see that he’s good to go, which figures to be an important sign considering he plays a devalued position like running back and has a lot of mileage on his body. Though he’s only 24, he has carried the ball 1,682 times since his freshman season at Wisconsin in 2017.

Could Colts change their asking price?

According to ESPN, ahead of roster cuts the Colts were asking for a first-round pick — or equivalent package of assets — for Taylor.

There’s been no indication that will change. The high demand shows Indianapolis’ preference to keep him.

If the dispute grows to a point of distraction that the Colts want to move on, their best-case scenario is finding a middle ground with an interested team, lessening their asking price. It’s hard to justify a first-round value for a player you won’t even broach contract negotiations with ahead of the final year of his rookie contract.

When owner Jim Irsay spoke to local reporters July 29, he said an extension for Taylor isn’t currently being discussed. He had told ESPN two days prior that an offer to Taylor hadn’t been made.

What are Taylor’s options?

His best option, when he’s healthy, is to play.

The Colts have the franchise tag as an option next spring, and Taylor has little leverage in a potential holdout. Each missed game would be a forfeiture of 1/18th of his base salary, equal to $239,111.11. He also needs to be active for at least six games to get an accrued season, which would make him eligible for unrestricted free agency in the spring. Players need at least four accrued seasons to be an unrestricted free agent. Taylor has three.

Can the relationship between Taylor and the Colts be saved?

At the very least, Taylor not being traded gives the sides more time to sort through their issues. And Indianapolis never said that it wouldn’t broach the idea of paying Taylor. It just won’t do so until after the 2023 season.

With the Colts maintaining that hard-line stance, and holding most of the power in this contract dispute, it appears to be up to Taylor to swallow his pride and play for Indianapolis this season with no guarantee of an extension. Whether he’ll do that is a question only Taylor can answer.

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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