Colts owner Jim Irsay said over the weekend that the team was “excited to have Jonathan Taylor back” and that General Manager Chris Ballard was going to do his best to calm the waters between the team and Taylor moving forward.
But could Taylor end up on the move?
Indianapolis has given Taylor permission to seek a trade, according to multiple reports. General Managers and talent evaluators across the league were informed that Taylor is available on Monday.
But just because Taylor and his representation are able to look for a trade partner who would give him a new deal doesn’t mean he’s going to find one. The Chargers similarly gave Austin Ekeler permission to seek a trade earlier in the offseason but nothing materialized on the market.
Ekeler ended up signing a deal with increased incentives with Los Angeles for 2023.
Head coach Shane Steichen said on Sunday that he was expecting Taylor to be back with the team this week as the Colts travel to Philadelphia to practice with the Eagles. But Taylor remains on the physically unable to perform list.
Taylor led the league with 1,811 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns, 2,171 yards from scrimmage, and 20 total touchdowns in 2021 — finishing second in AP offensive player of the year voting. But dealing with an ankle injury last year, Taylor rushed for 861 yards with four touchdowns and caught 28 passes for 143 yards in 11 games.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, there is interest in Taylor on the market, but “it won’t be cheap.”
