Just 19 months after shattering the Indianapolis Colts’ single season rushing record and leading the league in rushing, Jonathan Taylor wants out. This time, the team is ready to indulge him.
On Monday, the Colts granted Taylor permission to seek a trade. The move comes after the team failed to negotiate a contract extension ahead of his fourth season.
Taylor is coming off an injury-shortened 2022 season that saw him rush for 861 yards in 11 games. But he still finished the year with over 1,000 yards from scrimmage.
The year before, Taylor rushed for a whopping 1,811 yards – 22nd-most in NFL history – while adding another 18 touchdowns on the ground (15th in league history). He earned Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro honors while finishing second in the Offensive Player of the Year voting.
As a result, fans are already eager to see their favorite team trade for Taylor:
Makes sense. Neither side was going to come together after everything that happened.
— Caleb ∞ (@AktomicGaming) August 21, 2023
COMMANDER SOON
— Billy Tinkle (@BillyTinkleNuts) August 21, 2023
Panthers 👀
— 𓃵 (@Goaty_Szn) August 21, 2023
Bronco
— japta (@DubsBetterrrr) August 21, 2023
Jonathan Taylor appeared to notice the state of the elite running back market and realize that he wasn’t likely to get paid by the Colts once his contract expires next year.
A short holdout ensued as Colts owner Jim Irsay made it clear that he would not direct the team to give Taylor an extension.
Now the sides seem headed towards a divorce.