On Thursday, Indianapolis Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor, who is likely the franchise’s last longtime veteran cornerstone left after the recent trades of Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner, indicated that he has not requested a trade from the only organization he knows of.
However, he acknowledged his current uncertain future, which still appears to be very fluid in Indianapolis:
That said, Taylor is 27-years-old with 1,691 career carries in the NFL and 926 more in college at Wisconsin, at a running back position where players typically don’t age past 30-years-old.
Either the Colts or a acquiring team is realistically looking at 2-3 major years left on Taylor, and for Indianapolis, that’s probably about the minimum amount of time it would take to complete a successful rebuild these days—assuming conditions work out with a new quarterback, head coach, and general manager, which they all likely do.
However, keeping a future Colts Ring of Honor player and potential Hall of Famer in the building around young players can be a beneficial thing as far as teaching them an elite work ethic, preparation, strategy, etc.
For me, the Colts could be persuaded to trade Taylor soon, but it would have to take a significant haul in draft capital from a suitor, perhaps the question now appears to be at least a first round pick, maybe more.
Whether that price will drop, like a second round pick, as we approach this year’s trade deadline on Tuesday, November 10th, remains to be seen. However, for now, Taylor remains in Indianapolis.