It seems each year covering the Indianapolis Colts comes with some sort of dramatic storyline. The 2023 storyline has now turned into following the Jonathan Taylor trade market and now a broken relationship between the team and the star running back.
Whether anything comes from this is anyone’s guess. Taylor could be traded by the time the season rolls around or the two sides could somehow mend this broken relationship and find a way forward together. It’s the NFL. Anything can happen.
As much as we’d love to simply focus on the development of rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson or the return of former All-Pro linebacker Shaquille Leonard, the situation regarding Taylor will take precedence in almost all cases.
So to get you caught up on everything that’s transpired over the last week or so, here’s everything we know about the entire ordeal.
Jonathan Taylor officially requested a trade
According to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Taylor formally requested a trade from the Colts. There are some reports indicating this happened a few days before the news was released, but Saturday night was the first we officially heard of the trade request.
No offer has been made
Colts owner Jim Irsay told ESPN this week that the two sides haven’t been exchanging contract numbers and that the Colts haven’t given Taylor an official offer yet.
No intention of an extension
The piece from ESPN also stated the Colts have no intention of giving Taylor an extension before the 2023 season. General manager Chris Ballard also hinted that they are wanting to see the season play out before giving a new contract. However, he also stated he’s not opposed to a mid-season deal.
Jonathan Taylor's agent is not helping
One thing is for sure, Taylor’s new representation, Malki Kawa, has not helped his case. Kawa has taken to Twitter multiple times this week, adding fuel to the fire of a burning relationship. Irsay hasn’t helped the Colts’ side either, but Kawa has not come off as an agent teams will want to negotiate with.
Irsay's response to trade request
Again, Irsay is not helping his side of the case either. After news of Taylor’s trade request was revealed, Irsay once again went to the media. He stated that the team has no intention of trading Taylor before the season or in October, likely referring to the mid-season trade deadline.
Irsay and Taylor had hour-long meeting
During Saturday’s training camp practice, which took place during the evening, Irsay and Taylor had a meeting roughly an hour long in Irsay’s luxury RV. It was after that Irsay met with the media reiterating no extension is coming followed by the news of Taylor’s trade request.
Colts owner Jim Irsay just pulled up to practice and invited a guest onto his luxury bus: RB Jonathan Taylor. 👀 pic.twitter.com/trr9yQN95R
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) July 29, 2023
Irsay also had some wild quotes after that meeting with Taylor in the RV. He also was very defensive of how they treat players.
#Colts owner Jim Irsay: “If I die tonight and Jonathan Taylor is out of the league, no one’s gonna miss us. The league goes on. We know that. The National Football (League) rolls on. It doesn’t matter who comes and who goes, and it’s a privilege to be a part of it.”
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) July 30, 2023
More Irsay:
-Talked mainly about this year (“we expect JT to have a great year”) nothing about a future relationship
-Mentioned several times how his job is to rep every player get fair piece of cap
-Irsay very defensive of how organization treats their players, present/past https://t.co/gEnCIyfqsw
— Kevin Bowen (@KBowen1070) July 30, 2023
Taylor is currently on the PUP list
Taylor is currently on the active/PUP list to open training camp. He underwent offseason ankle surgery in January to repair the issue he dealt with during the 2022 season. Despite being dubbed a “minimally invasive procedure,” Taylor has not participated in any of the offseason or training camp activities. *He did pass his physical at the start of training camp, which raises speculation that his absence from practice is contract related.*
*Correction: Mike Chappell of Fox59, who originally reported Taylor passed his physical, issued a correction that Taylor did not pass his physical*
A correction. Colts RB Jonathan Taylor didn’t pass pre-camp physical and then placed on PUP because he wasn’t ready to practice. He was placed on PUP after failing physical.
Just getting it straight.Carry on.
— Mike Chappell (@mchappell51) July 30, 2023
No market for a trade?
Despite Taylor’s desire to leave Indy and his immense talent, there may not be a market strong enough to make a deal worth it for the Colts. ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reported that general managers have told him teams are hesitant to trade for a one-year rental at running back, especially if the market continues to decline at the position in 2024.
Potential trade destinations
Just in case you haven’t gotten your fill of all this drama, we put together a list of potential trade destinations for Taylor and the Colts.
