In order to accomplish a trade for running back Jonathan Taylor, a new team had to placate both the Colts and the player. Reportedly, the two teams that were pursuing Taylor most aggressively were willing to make him happy.
Josina Anderson of CBS Sports reports that both the Dolphins and Packers were “willing to give . . . Taylor a contract that placed him among the highest-paid running backs in the NFL entering this season.”
There’s only one highest-paid running back. Christian McCaffrey makes $16 million per year. As previously explained, the 49ers view it as $12 million annually, because that’s the average value of the deal they inherited after trading for the former Panther.
Technically, Saints running back Alvin Kamara makes $15 million per year. But his deal includes a phony final year with a cash value of $25 million, which boosts the package to that number. His contract was actually worth $12.5 million per year.
Titans running back Derrick Henry also is at $12.5 million per year. Browns running back Nick Chubb sits at $12.2 million annually.
So what were the Packers specifically willing to pay? What were the Dolphins specifically willing to pay? What did Taylor specifically want? We don’t know that. We also don’t know the structure of the proposed deals; either or both could have included a fugazi final year, like Kamara’s, that drove the number higher.
On one hand, it doesn’t matter because the Colts didn’t get an offer they liked. On the other hand, it does matter because the Colts might eventually decide to take what the can get and move on.
And here’s the bottom line. If the Colts don’t think he’s good enough to merit a new contract, why do they think he’s good enough to merit a significant return in trade?
