The Colts may spend the next couple of weeks deciding whether Jonathan Taylor is part of their future - or part of somebody else’s.
With change already underway at the top of the front office, and perhaps eventually at head coach too, veteran players are suddenly in play. But even with the deadline 16 days away, Indianapolis does not sound ready to start unloading pieces just yet. The next three games - against the Vikings, Jaguars, and Cowboys - will help shape the club’s direction before anything is finalized.
Taylor is the headliner in all of this. According to the report, “The Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and Vikings are among the teams that have, or are expected to, pondered the possibility of a trade for the star running back, according to sources.”
That kind of list suggests the Colts are trying to build a market, and build it wide. More interested teams means more leverage, and more leverage means a bigger return for their biggest name.
Indianapolis already paid Taylor this offseason, handing him a two-year, $44 million extension. Moving him would trigger a 2027 cap charge of $10 million, while the last two years of the contract would go to his new team at $16.02 million in 2027 and $17.98 million in 2028. Each of those final seasons also includes $1 million in incentives.
Because the Colts do not have a first-round pick in 2027 after the Sauce Gardner trade, they’d presumably want at least that level of value back - especially after giving Taylor a $15 million signing bonus when he signed the extension.
Among the teams mentioned, the Vikings, Broncos, and Seahawks look like the cleanest fits. All three are contenders, and all three could use a back of Taylor’s caliber.
The Packers are the odd one out, particularly with Josh Jacobs returning today. Their inclusion feels less like a perfect match and more like a little pressure tactic aimed at Minnesota, a way to keep a division rival from getting comfortable.
Taylor wasn’t the only name in the report, either. Veteran defensive tackle DeForest Buckner was mentioned as a possible candidate, with a return to the 49ers included as a possibility since they originally traded him to the Colts. Guard Quenton Nelson, who is in the final year of his deal, was also listed, along with defensive tackle Grover Stewart.
What Indianapolis does before the deadline will also shape the situation for the next general manager. That decision can’t really be made in a vacuum, though, because nobody yet knows who that person will be. The next GM could prefer Taylor in the building, or prefer whatever haul the Colts can bring back for him.
And that’s where the calendar still matters. For teams weighing deadline moves, the final stretch can change everything. Some won’t know what they want until after Week 9 ends, and in some cases the last game before the window closes will decide the whole thing.
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