Jonathan Taylor is handling his latest contract situation in a way that looks very different from the last time the Colts were here.
Three years ago, Indianapolis and Taylor were locked in a standoff. Taylor, then a rising star at a position that rarely gets the respect it deserves, wanted the team to recognize his value with a major payday.
He held out of training camp, said he was dealing with an ankle injury, and opened the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. Then, after the Colts gave him a three-year, $42 million extension, he was back on the field.
This time around, the approach is not nearly as combustible. Taylor still wants a new deal and the kind of long-term security that comes with it, but he is no longer making the conversation about himself. He is showing up, staying engaged and sending the message that he wants to remain in Indianapolis for the long haul.
Most players in these situations lean on careful, polished language. Taylor has said repeatedly that he wants to be a Colt for life, and his actions back that up. Instead of holding out or holding in, he is leaving the negotiating to his agent and the team while he keeps doing his job.
“I have faith,’’ Taylor said. “There have been good conversations, and I have faith between my agent and (the Colts’) front office.
Like I’ve already said, I’d love to be a Colt for life. I have faith things are moving in the right direction.’’
That stance puts the pressure where it belongs, on general manager Chris Ballard and the Colts’ front office. It also reflects a player who has already earned his money, built his resume and seen this movie before.
Taylor has done enough to belong among the greatest players in franchise history. He remains as sharp and useful as he was three years ago, and at 27, he is still right in the middle of his prime. The league may be wary of handing out big running back contracts, especially as players get older, but Taylor’s production and value have not faded.
The Colts’ offense still needs competent quarterback play to get where it wants to go, and Daniel Jones may be the most important player in Shane Steichen’s system right now. But Taylor remains a huge part of the equation. He gives the quarterback an outlet, protects him from extra punishment and creates options in the passing game when the play breaks down.
Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs are younger, and like Taylor was three years ago, they are pushing for the contracts they want and believe they deserve. Taylor has already lived through that fight. Now he is showing a different kind of maturity, one rooted in team-first behavior and a belief that the Colts will take care of him.
That should matter inside the building. This front office has seen both sides of Taylor’s contract history, and it knows what happens when he is on the field.
The offense gets a real boost. When he is missing, it turns into a disaster.
Pay the man.
In Other News...
Anthony Richardson Just Put The Colts In A Tough Spot
Anthony Richardsons status has quietly become one of the more awkward storylines hanging over the Colts as the season approaches. A former first-round quarterback who was once supposed to be part of the franchises long-term answer is now sitting behind Daniel Jones, and his contract structure only adds another layer to the situation for Indianapolis.
The part the Colts have to sort through now is less about talent than leverage. Richardson has not withdrawn his trade request, and Chris Ballard has already made clear the team would rather get draft value back than carry him on the roster into the final year of his deal. That leaves Indianapolis weighing whether to hold firm or keep listening, with a team like the Jets looming as the kind of quarterback-needy partner that could make the next conversation a complicated one. [Read more 🡒]
Daniel Jones Just Changed The Feel Of The Colts Quarterback Battle
Weather pushed the Colts inside for their fourth camp practice, and the change of scenery did little to slow Daniel Jones. With Shane Steichen away for personal reasons, several veterans back on the field after resting or dealing with illness, Jones took a noticeable step forward in the red zone period and kept himself in the center of a quarterback competition that already has been worth tracking.
The details of the work matter because Indianapolis is still sorting out how the depth chart looks with Anthony Richardson Sr. and rookie Riley Leonard also getting reps. Jones timing and command stood out enough to alter the feel of the battle, while Leonard was more active in the rotation and Richardson got his turns as well, leaving the Colts with more to study once the full offense is back together. [Read more 🡒]