Sources: Colts grant RB Taylor OK to seek trade

Stephen Holder, ESPNAug 21, 2023, 06:08 PM ET
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INDIANAPOLIS — All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor has been granted permission by the Indianapolis Colts to seek a trade, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.

But the Colts will be seeking significant trade compensation for Taylor, according to separate sources. The team is looking for a first-round draft pick or a collection of picks that equates to one, the sources said.

While no offer had materialized as of Monday evening, teams are weighing what fair value looks like in a potential deal for Taylor, the 2021 NFL rushing champion. Additionally, interested teams will need to consider whether they’re willing to sign Taylor to the contract extension he is seeking.

The parties involved are looking to settle a three-week standoff that began when Taylor reported to training camp on July 25. Taylor, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract, has long been seeking a long-term contract extension. The Colts, meanwhile, have shown no willingness to do a deal, raising concerns on Taylor’s part that staying in Indianapolis might result in him receiving the franchise tag before he hits the open market in the spring. Owner Jim Irsay told ESPN last month that the team had made no contract offer to Taylor. That became a major source of irritation for Taylor, sources said.

Taylor, 24, complained of issues associated with his surgically repaired right ankle when he arrived for camp and failed his pre-camp physical, sources said. He was then placed on the physically unable to perform list, where he remains. Taylor has not practiced with the Colts since being placed on injured reserve in December.

In the weeks since then, the relationship between Taylor and the Colts has devolved. That includes a tweet from Irsay that prompted a reply from Taylor’s agent and an unproductive meeting between Irsay and Taylor that played out in the middle of a Colts practice. Taylor has twice left training camp in recent weeks, first to seek outside therapy on his right ankle and then last week to attend to a personal matter.

Taylor requested a trade on the day he reported to camp, a request that Irsay publicly denied on July 29. But behind the scenes, the idea of a trade was never really tabled at Colts headquarters. Taylor never rescinded his trade request, hoping the team would have a change of heart.

As a point of reference, Christian McCaffrey — another elite running back — was traded from the Carolina Panthers to San Francisco 49ers last season for second-, third- and fourth-round picks in 2023 and a fifth-round choice in 2024.

Taylor has a combined 3,841 rushing yards since entering the league three years ago in 2020. His league-high 1,811 rushing yards in 2021 set a Colts franchise record, as did his 18 rushing touchdowns that season.