Colts Now Open to Trading Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor is officially on the trade market. The Indianapolis Colts are now open to dealing their star running back, and multiple teams have reached out with talks described as active and ongoing, sources told ESPN and NFL Network on Saturday morning.

That is a massive swing for a 2-5 team whose owner would still prefer to keep Taylor as part of the rebuild. Two days ago he said he had not asked for a trade. Now the Colts are listening, and the price tag is steep.

Who Is Calling and What Indy Wants

The teams thought to have shown at least some interest are the Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks. The Colts want a package in the neighborhood of what the 49ers sent Carolina for Christian McCaffrey in 2022, which was a second, third, fourth and fifth round pick.

Taylor's contract makes that ask easier to swallow. He is 27, the Colts already paid his $15 million signing bonus, and he is due $15 million in 2027 and $9.46 million in 2028. For a contender, that is a three-time Pro Bowler on a reasonable deal for two more years.

New owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon met with Taylor this week for what was described as an in-depth conversation about the future, and she is said to have an affinity for him. But Indy has made it clear this week that it does not mind shedding salary for draft picks, and receiver Josh Downs, who asked for a trade, is also in talks.

What He Means to the Colts

This is not a role player. Taylor is the second leading rusher in Colts history with 8,185 yards, behind only Hall of Famer Edgerrin James, and he owns the franchise record with 77 rushing touchdowns. This season he has 587 rushing yards and is tied for the league lead with eight rushing scores.

Taylor sounded like a guy who saw this coming. "Whether you like it or not, the day may come," he said Thursday. "You may get to stay somewhere forever, but you understand the business side of it."

Sunday Still Matters

For now, Taylor and Downs are both expected to play Sunday when the Colts visit the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium (1 PM ET, CBS). It is not a friendly spot. Indianapolis has lost three straight, including 16-10 at Minnesota last week, and it has not won in Jacksonville since 2014. The Jaguars (4-2) come off a bye with the league's No. 1 run defense, allowing 72.2 yards per game.

My Smacktok lean: go higher on Taylor's rushing attempts. Indy's offense runs through him, and a team with its best trade chip on display has every reason to feed him.

It might be his last game in a horseshoe. If it is, Colts fans will want him to go out swinging against the best run defense in football.