Having a star running back like Jonathan Taylor on a rookie contract is something special the Indianapolis Colts will cherish as long as they can.
As teams try to shy away from paying running backs big money on their second contracts, it’s the players like Taylor who wind up bringing the most value to the offense when it comes to production cost.
Because he’s still on his rookie deal with a salary-cap hit of just $2.13 million in 2022, Taylor was featured as the starting running back on the “best NFL team money can buy,” an experiment done by NFL.com to fill the best roster possible under the league’s $208.2 million salary cap.
Quenton Nelson, Darius Leonard and Kenny Moore II were all considered for their respective positions but were not chosen.
Here’s what they had to say about Taylor being the lead back while still on his rookie deal:
Fresh off capturing a rushing triple crown and becoming the youngest player (22) with 2,000-plus scrimmage yards and 20-plus touchdowns in NFL history, Jonathan Taylor and his second-round rookie contract were easy to slot in as RB1. Through his first two seasons, Taylor has 32 scrimmage touchdowns, putting him on pace to set the NFL record for a player’s first three seasons. The four names currently atop that list each have a bronze bust in Canton, Ohio: Barry Sanders (47), Eric Dickerson (46), Gale Sayers (46) and Earl Campbell (45). My favorite Taylor statistic from the 2021 season? He had more rushing yards after contact (1,272) than any other player had total rushing yards (Nick Chubb finished second with 1,259), per Pro Football Focus.
What Taylor has done throughout his first two seasons in the NFL has been incredible. While the running back position has become more replaceable in recent seasons, there is no replacing Taylor’s impact on the Colts offense.
Though Taylor still has two more years left on his rookie deal, it wouldn’t be surprising if both sides start working on a new contract following the 2022 season. Taylor isn’t eligible for a new contract until after his third season in the NFL, but the Colts might not want to wait.
It will be interesting to see how that all works out in the future, but Taylor is one of the biggest values in the NFL when it comes to cost of production.
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