Colts fans got the news they wanted: Jonathan Taylor is staying in Indianapolis.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Taylor and general manager Chris Ballard agreed to a two-year extension worth $44 million, with a max value of $47 million. The deal includes $39 million guaranteed. While it’s not fully clear whether one of those years is a reworking of Taylor’s 2026 contract, the expectation is that the new seasons are 2027 and 2028, which would keep him in Indy for at least three more years.
That matters because Taylor isn’t just another important player on the roster. He’s the centerpiece. Ballard doesn’t typically move proactively on extensions, which says plenty about how the Colts view their running back.
The contract also puts Taylor near the top of the market, even if not at the very top for long. His deal comes in below the one Bijan Robinson reached with the Atlanta Falcons, a three-year pact worth up to $75 million. Taylor’s extension will make him the second-highest-paid running back annually behind Robinson, at least for the moment.
That status probably won’t last. Jahmyr Gibbs is expected to land an extension with the Detroit Lions, and that deal could end up topping Robinson’s number.
For Indianapolis, though, the bigger point is simple: Taylor is locked in, and the offense still has its focal point. The Colts also moved quickly after Robinson’s deal was announced, which should make Taylor happy as well.
Now the attention shifts back to Ballard and what comes next. Left guard Quenton Nelson, another player Indianapolis drafted who could be on a Hall of Fame track, is scheduled to hit free agency next offseason. An extension before the season starts would not be a surprise.
If that happens, Taylor and Nelson would both be secured for the coming years, joining quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce on that list. And with that core taking shape, Indianapolis looks like a team that could be building toward its first playoff trip since 2020.
In Other News...
Colts Suddenly Have A Bigger Concern With Rookie LB CJ Allen
The Colts linebacker picture took another hit Thursday when rookie CJ Allen was held out of practice because of a hamstring injury, according to Shane Steichen. Allen had been working toward a bigger role and was expected to start at linebacker once healthy, but the setback adds another layer of uncertainty to a position group that has already had to wait on him.
Allens absence is especially notable because he had already missed earlier practices while on the PUP list with a calf injury, so this is not the first time Indianapolis has had to manage his availability early on. For a rookie trying to get established, every missed rep matters, and the Colts now have to monitor his recovery without any clear timetable for when he might get back on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Face An Anthony Richardson Decision That Keeps Getting Worse
Anthony Richardsons offseason has already taken a turn the Colts probably did not want when camp opened. After asking for a trade early in the offseason and finding no market that moved him elsewhere, he stayed on the roster and into training camp, where every practice rep seems to bring fresh questions about whether Indianapolis can still count on him as part of its quarterback future.
The problem for the Colts is that the frustration is no longer only about talent or development, but about whether keeping him around helps or hurts the rest of the roster. Releasing Richardson would not create cap relief, so the decision is more about football and locker-room math than finances, and the team has to weigh what his presence means against the need to build a cleaner quarterback situation before the season gets away from them. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Face A Brutal Training Camp Reality They Cannot Ignore
The Colts spent much of last summer learning how quickly a training camp can turn grim, with rookies Justin Walley and Hunter Wohler both going down for the year. That kind of reminder tends to linger, especially for a roster trying to build momentum without handing out early setbacks, and it has made this camp feel different so far. Indianapolis has been fortunate enough to avoid a major injury to a projected starter at the outset of 2026, which is exactly the kind of early stability a team wants after living through the opposite.
Still, the margin for error is thin, and the spots the Colts can least afford to lose are easy to identify. Bernhard Raimann, CJ Allen, Laiatu Latu and Alec Pierce sit in that category, because each carries real importance to how this season is supposed to come together. Pierce is working back from offseason surgery, adding another layer of caution to a camp where the Colts know good health can disappear fast, even when everything looks manageable on the surface. [Read more 🡒]