The Colts and running back Marlon Mack are working on seeking a trade.
The Indianapolis Colts and running back Marlon Mack have “mutually agreed to seek a trade,” according to Tom Pelissero, an NFL Network Reporter.
The #Colts and RB Marlon Mack have agreed to mutually seek a trade, per sources. Mack is fully healthy after last year’s Achilles tear. But Jonathan Taylor as the bell cow and Nyheim Hines recently extended, Mack is hoping for opportunities elsewhere.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 28, 2021
Pelissero also added that “Nothing is imminent on a Marlon Mack trade.”
Nothing is imminent on a Marlon Mack trade. He’s still with the team. But with injuries around the league, there figures to be a market. https://t.co/n4yrASLjMn
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 28, 2021
Mack agreed to a 1-year contract extension back in March, but it’s become clear that team likes what they have in second-year back Johnathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines, who just received a 3-year contract extension back on September 10.
The 4th-year back is coming off an Achilles tear which ended his season in Week 1 of last year, and he hasn’t seen much action through the first three weeks of the 2021 season. Additionally, Mack was a healthy scratch during last Sunday’s game against Tennessee, so these reports now make more sense.
It would make sense for both Mack and the Colts to look for a destination where the running back would have an opportunity to become another team’s No. 1 back.
Multiple teams around the league, including the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots, have injuries to starting running backs, so Mack could be highly sought after.
A 4th-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Mack quickly became the Colts’ No. 1 running back and saw quite a bit of success as both a pure runner and pass-catching back behind one of the NFL’s best offensive lines.
The former South Florida back came in as a rookie, rushed for 358 yards and scored three touchdowns. Mack then followed his rookie season with two, back-to-back 900-yard rushing seasons, finding the end zone a total of 31 times both on the ground and through the air.
Given Mack’s success as a starter in Indy, it makes sense that he’s now an ideal trade candidate for running back-needy teams.
His teammates and coaches have all spoken highly of him since he was drafted, and now Mack will have an opportunity to seek a team where he could likely become a starting running back again.
Leave a Reply