The Jonathan Taylor chatter in Indianapolis keeps circling back to the same question: if the Colts ever did move on from their star running back, where would they even start looking for help?
One answer could be sitting in New England. Antonio Gibson is the name that makes sense here, not because the Patriots are expected to chase Taylor, but because they may be able to provide Indianapolis with part of the solution if Taylor is dealt.
The Colts are described as extremely unlikely to trade Taylor, even with the constant speculation around his final year of his contract. Still, the idea lingers because if Indianapolis gets off to a bad start this season, Taylor could become expendable. If that happens, the team would need another back to help absorb some of the production that would vanish with him.
Gibson would not be a one-for-one replacement. Very few backs could be.
But he could be a useful piece, and he likely wouldn’t cost the Colts a premium draft choice. New England already has TreVeyon Henderson as a longtime starter, and Gibson is coming off the torn ACL he suffered in Week 5 last season.
Even with that injury, Gibson is only 28 and had not been overworked before 2025. He also brings value as a receiver out of the backfield. His early years were his best, but the report’s point is that his ability didn’t disappear - his usage changed.
After being selected in the third round of the 2020 draft, the same year Taylor went to the Colts, Gibson made an immediate impact in Washington. As a rookie with the Commanders, he scored 11 rushing touchdowns. In his second season, he ran for 1,037 yards and finished with 10 total touchdowns.
The last four seasons have looked very different. Over that span, Gibson has started only 11 games and has not had a season with more than 149 carries.
That matters for Indianapolis, because the Colts would not be trying to ask one back to replace Taylor alone. The report makes clear that Taylor is elite and Gibson is not; if Taylor is traded, the answer would have to come through a committee.
Right now, the Colts already have DJ Giddens and rookie Seth McGowan behind Taylor, among others. Adding Gibson to that group could fit well in Shane Steichen’s system.
If Indianapolis ever did decide to trade Taylor, the return could be significant. The expectation is a high-round 2027 pick, if not a first-rounder.
A second-round pick plus another mid-round selection is also floated as a possible package. The point isn’t to sell Taylor short - it’s to reflect how the league now values the running back position.
That kind of move would also give the Colts more premium draft capital to keep building a roster that can contend for the playoffs every year. And if Chris Ballard is let go after a season without a postseason berth, a new general manager would inherit more picks to shape the team in his own image.
It might take giving up a fifth-round pick or later to land Gibson, but that’s a price the Colts could live with. They should not trade Taylor. But if they do, Gibson would at least soften the blow a little.
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