San Francisco 49ers fans can count on one thing as the trade deadline approaches: this team will be sniffing around for help. That part tracks.
The part that doesn’t? The idea that the 49ers would go after Colts running back Jonathan Taylor.
A recent rumor pushed that name into the mix, but it’s the kind of speculation that doesn’t line up with what the 49ers actually need or how they’ve built this roster. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk floated the possibility after Chris Simms brought it up on Thursday’s PFT Live, noting that “some in league circles are wondering whether the 49ers could make a play for Colts running back Jonathan Taylor.”
That would be a major swing - and a strange one. Taylor would come with a hefty price tag, likely well north of a second-round pick and close to what San Francisco gave up for Christian McCaffrey in 2022. That alone makes the idea hard to square.
Even with McCaffrey aging and having dealt with injury issues in years past, the fit still doesn’t make much sense. The 49ers already have one star running back. Spending premium draft capital to add another would be an odd use of resources when those picks could go toward a wide receiver or more help on defense.
There’s no question Taylor and McCaffrey together would give San Francisco the best running back duo in the league. But both are bell-cow backs, and that’s where the logic starts to fall apart. The team also has optimism about Kaelon Black, which only adds another layer to why this rumor feels off.
Unless McCaffrey were ruled out for the rest of the season, there just isn’t a scenario where bringing in Taylor would justify the cost. This looks like the kind of trade chatter that surfaces, gets a little oxygen, and then disappears. For the 49ers, it makes zero sense.
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