The Giants have earned the right to think big at the deadline, but they still can’t afford to get reckless.
At 5-2-1, New York sits atop the NFC East after a 19-11 win in Philadelphia, and a division title is no longer some far-off dream. Even so, this team is not complete, and that’s exactly why the reported Jonathan Taylor price should make the Giants pause.
Indianapolis is sitting at 2-7 and clearly operating in sell mode, but that doesn’t mean New York should chase the Colts into a bidding war. The reported offer from the Giants - a second-round pick, a fourth-round pick and a player - was already a meaningful package. The Colts turned it down and are asking for more, with reports saying they want either a first-round pick or something along the lines of the haul Carolina sent to San Francisco for Christian McCaffrey: second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-round picks.
That’s too rich for a running back, even one as accomplished as Taylor. He’ll turn 28 in January and is a three-time Pro Bowler, but the Giants would be making a mistake if they simply raised their offer because Indianapolis said no. That would be paying extra just because the Colts are trying to squeeze the market.
Giants coach John Harbaugh did not shut the door on talks, saying “things do change” and that no door is shut. That’s the right stance. New York can keep the conversation alive without surrendering leverage or getting trapped into overpaying.
The bigger issue is roster building. The Giants are not operating like a team that can throw away premium draft capital without consequence.
They still need cheap, young talent, and the draft is how clubs in their position fill holes without wrecking the cap. A first-round pick, or even a McCaffrey-style package, could mean giving up multiple players who might become starters.
That matters even more because New York’s draft cupboard is not overflowing. The Giants don’t even have a 2027 fifth-round pick, which only underscores how little extra capital they have to play with.
And there’s the football side of it, too. One running back does not usually change a team’s entire direction.
This Giants team is winning with its defense and a healthy Jaxson Dart, not because it needs a blockbuster swing at running back. Giving up three or four picks would risk slowing down the very progress that has put them in first place.
Taylor’s contract is part of the equation as well. He signed a two-year, $44 million extension in August that runs through 2028.
So this wouldn’t just be a rental. The Giants would be paying in picks now and in cap space later.
There is still a sensible path here. If Indianapolis lowers the price to something closer to the original offer New York already made, the Giants can revisit it. If not, they should walk away and keep their powder dry.
Harbaugh’s comments leave the door open for talks to continue, and there’s still a chance the market softens by Tuesday. If that happens, New York can jump back in. Until then, the disciplined move is to wait, let the Colts’ asking price come down, and protect the draft assets that will help build the next version of this team.
In Other News...
Colts Just Made Their Daniel Jones Belief Impossible To Ignore
Daniel Jones status in Indianapolis has been a talking point for weeks, but the Colts have now made their position clear. The team informed Jones it will not trade him before the NFL deadline, a move that lines up with the belief inside the building that he remains their starting quarterback despite outside speculation and interest from other teams.
It is a notable stance because Jones has flashed career-best performance metrics since arriving in Indianapolis, even as his production has cooled in recent weeks. Still, the Colts are choosing continuity over curiosity, and for now the message is that Jones stays put as the offense keeps moving forward with him under center. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Taylor Just Reopened The Colts Biggest Trade Deadline Question
Jonathan Taylors comments after the Colts loss to the Dallas Cowboys only added another layer to an already uneasy week around the teams backfield. Speaking in the aftermath, Taylor addressed the trade chatter without feeding it, saying he does not know whether Sunday was his last game in Indianapolis and expressing appreciation for the city and its fans.
He also denied requesting a trade, which leaves the Colts in the same spot they were before the deadline noise picked up: trying to sort out whether their lead running back is part of the long-term plan or a name that could still move before the NFL trade deadline. For a team that has already had enough to juggle, Taylors uncertainty is the kind of storyline that can hang over the building until the deadline passes. [Read more 🡒]
Daniel Jones Just Made Colts Deadline Tension Even More Real
Daniel Jones did not hide his frustration after the Colts loss to Dallas, a game in which he finished 20 of 34 for 180 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The veteran quarterbacks comments landed at a sensitive time for Indianapolis, with the trade deadline looming and the team already navigating a stretch of roster movement that has added to the uncertainty around the building.
Jones also pushed back on the noise surrounding his future, saying he has not asked out and is staying locked in on the next game. For a Colts team trying to steady itself under Shane Steichen, the timing matters just as much as the message, because even when the quarterback insists he is focused on football, the deadline chatter has a way of hanging around until it passes. [Read more 🡒]