Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen made a major announcement Monday regarding plans for disgruntled running back Jonathan Taylor. Taylor spent the first four weeks of the season on the PUP list following a public spat with Colts owner Jim Irsay.
Taylor, in the last year of his rookie deal, is seeking a new contract from the Colts. He requested a trade after the Colts could not come up with a deal for Taylor. Irsay’s comments that the league would go without Irsay and Taylor, should they die, didn’t help matters.
The Colts were involved in trade talks with a few teams this preseason, including the Green Bay Packers and Miami Dolphins. Nothing came of the trade talks, and the Colts placed Taylor, who was battling an ankle injury from last season, on the PUP list.
The Indianapolis Colts make an announcement on Jonathan Taylor
The first four games for the Colts are in the books for the 2023 season. The 2-2 Colts find themselves tied for the lead in the AFC South in the first week the team is eligible to bring Taylor back.
According to Ian Rapoport with the NFL Network, Colts head coach Shane Steichen announced the Colts will open the 21-day practice window for Taylor. The Colts are still open to trading Taylor:
The Colts plan to open the 21-day practice window Wednesday for star running back Jonathan Taylor, whose surgically repaired ankle is fully healthy after a stint on the physically unable to perform list against the backdrop of his offseason trade request, per sources.
There have been no recent trade talks between the Colts and other teams, sources say, though one source insisted multiple teams remain interested in swinging a trade for Taylor, 24, and signing him to a new contract in line with the NFL’s top backs.
Due about $4.3 million in the last year of his rookie contract, Taylor still wants a new deal, and the Colts are open to addressing it. As of now, the Colts’ focus is getting the 2021 NFL rushing champ back on the practice field and getting him ready to play.
The Colts are also open to a trade if they get the right offer. But the two teams known to have made trade offers before the season haven’t engaged recently: The Packers are no longer in the mix, and the Dolphins haven’t spoken to the Colts about trading for Taylor since before the season began, sources say.
The Colts will look for a trade
The Colts have three weeks to make a trade or activate Taylor. One would assume the Colts would work diligently to make a trade before Week 8. There are plenty of teams that will have interest in Taylor. And many teams from the AFC North.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, and Baltimore Ravens could use help in their backfield. The Browns and Ravens lost their starting running backs. The Steelers can’t get their running game going.
Taylor would make the Colts even more competitive in the AFC South. But would he want to play for the Colts after all that transpired this summer?
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