Well, Stephen Holder of ESPN.com was onto something,
Less than a day after the man who covers the Colts for ESPN raised the possibility of running back Jonathan Taylor requesting a trade, Jonathan Taylor reportedly has requested a trade.
That’s the word from Ian Rapoport of NFL Media.
The news comes after Taylor and owner Jim Irsay met on Irsay’s bus, and after Irsay said (via Holder) there are still no plans to extend Taylor’s contract. (Holder also adds that the trade request was first made several days ago.)
We’ve previously suggested that Taylor should have held out of training camp. Irsay perhaps wisely timed his unwise tweet about the running back position until after Taylor had reported.
Taylor still has no real leverage, given that he has reported. Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, it’s much harder for a player to leave after he has reported.
That said, Taylor wants out. And Colts G.M Chris Ballard previously has echoed, in a #PFTPM interview, the mantra from Steelers coach Mike Tomlin that “we want volunteers, not hostages.”
“Mike Tomlin says it best,” Ballard explained in 2022. “I always say, ‘You want volunteers.’ You want people that want to be here. So when you get a player who doesn’t want to be in your organization anymore, you can play hardball -- which sometimes we all do -- but you want volunteers. You want people who want to be here.
Taylor no longer volunteers. Will the Colts now seek trade partners?
The second-round pick from Wisconsin had 1,811 rushing yards and 20 total touchdowns in 2021. He missed six games due to injury in 2022. He is signed through 2023.
