Colts unable to find trade partner for All-Pro RB Jonathan Taylor
All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor is staying put — at least for now.
The Indianapolis Colts could not find a partner to trade the 24-year-old Taylor ahead of a self-imposed deadline Tuesday and the team kept him on the physically unable to perform list as part of roster moves on Tuesday. That means he will miss at least the first four games of the 2023 season as he continues to rehab a high-ankle sprain that has lingered since the end of the 2022 campaign.
The Colts still have until the October 31 trading deadline to find a suitable trade for Taylor. If he is dealt prior to the conclusion of Week 4, however, he would still be forced to sit out the first four games of the season for his new team because of his designation on the PUP list.
The Colts had granted Taylor the ability to seek a trade August 21 after he made public his request to be dealt at the end of July. On the day that Taylor made his request public, Colts owner Jim Irsay stressed that the team would not move Taylor.
"We will not trade Jonathan Taylor," Irsay told the Indy Star, part of the USA TODAY Network. "That is a certainty. Not now, or not in October."
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Taylor has not practiced since training camp opened and was placed on the PUP list. Taylor, who led the NFL in 2021 in yards from scrimmage (2,171) and was tied for the league lead in rushing and receiving touchdowns (20), had been seeking a contract extension with the Colts entering the final season of his rookie deal.
Because of Taylor's contract situation, any team that offers a substantial trade package for Taylor would presumably also like to sign him to a long-term extension.
The Miami Dolphins were among the teams who had reportedly shown the most interest in trading for Taylor, according to multiple reports. According to ESPN, the Colts had been seeking a first-round draft pick or an asset of equivalent value in a trade for Taylor.
