Josh Downs’ future in Indianapolis is still hanging in the balance, and the Colts wideout didn’t do anything Sunday to quiet the noise.
After Indianapolis coughed up a late lead and fell 27-23 to the Dallas Cowboys, the trade deadline chatter around the team only got louder. The Colts are now 2-7, and with the deadline set for 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, the roster purge appears to be in full motion.
Downs sits right at the center of it. He’s one of the most talked-about names on the market, and Sunday was a rough one for him personally.
He dropped a crucial third-down pass late in the fourth quarter, right before Dallas put together the go-ahead touchdown drive. Then, on the final Hail Mary attempt, it was Cowboys safety Caleb Downs - Josh’s younger brother - who came down with the ball to finish off the win.
The 2023 third-round pick has already made his stance known. Downs is in the final year of his rookie deal, and he was the only one of the Colts’ three major trade candidates to actually request a move, doing so one day after the team shipped out Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner.
Asked after the game whether he wants to stay in Indianapolis, Downs didn’t shut the door either way.
"I said I’m open to whatever, and if they want me to stay here, I’mma stay here, and if they don’t, they’ll trade me away," Downs said.
Before Sunday, Downs had been the Colts’ leading receiver with 30 catches for 330 yards and one touchdown in eight games. That production also says plenty about the state of the offense, which had been averaging just 174.6 passing yards per game entering the weekend - fifth-lowest in the NFL.
The trade request has been the driving force behind his name popping up in rumors, and head coach Shane Steichen confirmed it. Downs, though, has pushed back on the way it’s been described, saying, " those weren’t my words."
He’s been in the rumor mill ever since.
And there’s a real market. NFL insiders Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport reported the Colts are seeking a third- or fourth-round pick, and the team has already gotten offers.
Pittsburgh has been the name most often connected to him, with the Steelers looking for help at receiver and trying to stay in the playoff mix. The Chiefs, Patriots, and 49ers have also been mentioned as possible landing spots.
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