A report on Wednesday suggested it was “likely” the Indianapolis Colts Star running back Jonathan Taylor and wide receiver Josh Downs will have new football homes before the NFL The trade deadline comes at 4:00 pm ET on Nov. 10.
However, there remained no indication overnight that the Colts were close to trading either player. On Thursday’s edition of the “Good Morning Football” program, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport explained why Taylor and Downs were still with the Colts at the time.
The Colts don’t seem eager to trade Jonathan Taylor
According to Rapoport, “several teams interested in Taylor are willing to offer a significant” draft-pick package for his services. However, those packages were “not quite” what the Colts wanted for Taylor, who signed a two-year contract extension this past summer.
The Colts reportedly “could hold out for the equivalent of a first-round pick,” and are willing to play him against the 3-5 Dallas Cowboys this coming Sunday.
“The other part of this thing is it’s not a guy they really want to trade,” Rapoport added of the Colts and Taylor. “This is a guy they believe is a big part of their future. They want to build around him, so it would take a big package to get the Colts to move on from him.”
Also on Thursday morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter indicated that the New York Giants may be the most likely team to ultimately match the Colts’ asking price for Taylor. Many stories have previously linked the Giants to Taylor, but Big Blue could also pursue Breece Hall of the New York Jets, Tony Pollard of the Tennessee Titans or Derrick Henry of the Baltimore Ravens.
The The Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, Cincinnati Bengals and Minnesota Vikings are reportedly among the other clubs that could offer a “significant” package of draft picks for Taylor.
Will the wantaway player stay with the Colts through the trade deadline?
Meanwhile, it was reported last week that Colts wide receiver Josh Downs has requested a trade amid the team’s fire sale. According to Rapoport, the Colts want either a third-round draft pick or a fourth-rounder for Downs.
“It remains to be seen whether [the Colts get that],” The report continued. “There’s several teams needing a receiver. We just don’t know if they can meet the Colts’ price.”
The San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders is said among the those groups.