Getty Image / Adam Bettcher
The Indianapolis Colts have decided that Tuesday is the deadline for a Jonathan Taylor trade.
The team decided earlier this week that they would allow him to seek a trade.
The NFL offseason took a surprising turn for the Indianapolis Colts not too long ago.
With the preseason approaching, the league’s running back contract situation suddenly left the Colts with uncertainty of their own at the position.
Some comments from the team’s owner and an unwillingness from the team to extend Jonathan Taylor’s contract led to the running back requesting a trade.
This week, the Colts decided that they would grant Taylor the right to seek a partner for the trade.
Since that decision from the Colts, there have been quite a few teams showing interest in the running back who led the NFL in rushing yards and touchdowns in 2021 and there have even reportedly been a couple of offers for him.
Now it seems those teams that are interested may need to hurry up to get a deal done if they really want to land the former All-Pro.
According to ESPN’s Stephen Holder, the Indianapolis Colts have set Tuesday as a deadline for Taylor to find a trade.
The Jonathan Taylor situation is getting spicy: https://t.co/Og1AAiYh7d
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) August 23, 2023
Tuesday as a deadline makes a lot of sense. It is the day that NFL teams will be required to cut down to their 53-man rosters. For the Colts, it will also be the day that they have to decide whether they will be activating Taylor or leaving him on the PUP list to start the season.
With that deadline set, teams now have less than a week to decide whether or not they are ready to meet the Colts’ trade demands.
Those demands are either a 1st rounder or a trade package with value equal to a first round pick.
It sounds like a reasonable price for a 24-year old running back who has already led the league in rushing once, but the current state of the running back market and the fact that Taylor isn’t eligible for a 5th year on his rookie deal could make some teams hesitant to pay that price.
It looks like we’ll know for sure if teams place that much value on Jonathan Taylor by Tuesday.