The Colts have started clearing the deck, and that should have the Vikings paying close attention.
Indianapolis kicked off its deadline sell-off Tuesday by sending star left guard Quenton Nelson to Seattle for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. With a 2-5 record and no first-round pick after last year’s Sauce Gardner trade, the Colts suddenly look like a team willing to listen on just about anyone if it helps stock the cupboard.
That puts Jonathan Taylor squarely back in the conversation.
The three-time Pro Bowl running back has long been tied to Minnesota in deadline speculation, and the logic is obvious. The Vikings’ defense and special teams are playing at an elite level, but the offense has become a problem. Short of making a midseason switch at quarterback, the cleanest way to spark it is by adding a difference-making runner, and Taylor is the biggest name on that board.
The numbers behind Minnesota’s offensive slump are hard to ignore. The Vikings are the only undefeated team left in the NFL on early downs this season, but their offense ranks 32nd with a 29% success rate, 32nd with 18% of plays gaining a first down and 32nd with 24.0% of plays going for 7-plus yards. They also reach third down on 62% of their series, the highest rate in the league.
Taylor’s contract would be part of any deal discussion, and Spotrac lists cap hits of $21.02 million and $22.98 million in 2027 and 2028, respectively. He has two more years left on the deal.
Rumors around his availability have grown in recent weeks, and they only picked up after the Nelson trade. Still, one prominent insider tried to cool the temperature. Appearing on "The Pat McAfee Show" Tuesday afternoon, Adam Schefter said, “My understanding is that the owner (Carlie Irsay-Gordon) doesn’t want to trade Jonathan Taylor.”
Schefter also said, “My understanding is that the Colts don't wanna trade Jonathan Taylor..If I had to guess today I don't think that they will trade Jonathan Taylor” ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/LJ7WY63hAa
Even with that reporting, the message for Minnesota is pretty clear: if the Vikings want to make this happen, they may need to move fast and move hard. Taylor is 27, and the Colts appear to be leaning toward a rebuild. Holding onto a proven back while the roster gets reshaped doesn’t make a ton of sense if the goal is to gather draft capital and reset.
From Minnesota’s side, the timing matters just as much as the player. The Vikings are staring at a brutal November stretch with games against the Lions, Bills, Packers, 49ers and Falcons. If the offense stays stuck, the unbeaten record won’t last forever.
Taylor would bring the one thing this running game has lacked: explosion. He has ripped off runs of 20 or more yards in five of his seven appearances this season, including a 38-yard touchdown against the Vikings.
And that kind of burst has been missing in Minnesota for a while. Since Kevin O’Connell took over in 2022, the Vikings’ longest run each season has been 81 yards from Dalvin Cook in 2022, 31 yards from Ty Chandler in 2023 and 58 yards from Cam Akers in 2024.
There is still time before the trade deadline, but not much. If the Vikings want Jonathan Taylor, this is the moment to push.
In Other News...
Kyle Van Noy Is Making This A Tough Vikings Decision
Kyle Van Noy has turned a short-term Vikings signing into one of the more interesting roster conversations of the season. Brought in on a one-year deal, the veteran has given Minnesota useful snaps as both a pass rusher and run defender, and his strong play has shown up in the grading as well, with Pro Football Focus giving him high marks for what he has brought to the defense.
Even in a limited role, he has made his presence felt enough to complicate the team's plans for 2027. At about 32 percent of the defensive snaps, Van Noy has done enough to make a case that he should not be treated like a stopgap, and Minnesota now has a decision to make about whether it wants that kind of production around beyond this season. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Undefeated Start Is Hiding A Bigger Offensive Concern
Minnesotas unbeaten start has been built more on the parts of the roster that travel well in January than on any sense that the offense is fully in rhythm. The special teams and defense have carried plenty of the load, and Harrison Smiths 40th career interception was another reminder of how much veteran playmaking still matters to this group. With a tough stretch ahead, the Vikings can enjoy being the NFLs last unbeaten team, but the margin for error looks thinner than the record suggests.
The concern is that the offense still has not matched the standard the rest of the team has set, and the scrutiny is beginning to settle on Kevin OConnells handling of that side of the ball as well as some recent roster decisions. Blake Cashman has been a bright spot in the middle, while Will Fries has yet to settle in after joining the team, leaving Minnesota with a little too much imbalance for a club trying to keep winning at a high level. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Taylor Just Showed The Vikings What They're Missing
The Vikings spent plenty of the afternoon seeing just how disruptive Jonathan Taylor can be when an offense is built around a true workhorse runner. Taylor was a steady problem for Minnesota, helping Indianapolis stay on schedule and convert third downs in a game that exposed a defense that had usually been better in those situations.
For Minnesota, the reminder is obvious: a back like Taylor changes the feel of a game and gives an offense a different kind of edge. It is easy to see why his fit would be appealing here, even if the reality around any pursuit is more complicated, with no indication the Colts are eager to move him. [Read more 🡒]