27 July 2023 , 01:30
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The agent of Indianapolis Colts superstar Jonathan Taylor responded to an inflammatory social media post made by team owner Jim Irsay that insinuated running backs should not complain about a cold contract market.
Irsay's remarks came amid uncertainty surrounding Taylor, who is entering the final year of his deal and has yet to participate in training camp this week despite being pictured at team facilities. He is considered one of the organisation's top players but is just the ninth-highest earner by 2023 base salary.
"NFL Running Back situation- We have negotiated a CBA,that took years of effort and hard work and compromise in good faith by both sides..to say now that a specific Player category wants another negotiation after the fact,is inappropriate," wrote Irsay on Twitter. "Some Agents are selling ‘bad faith’.."
In response, agent Malki Kawa wrote, "Bad faith is not paying your top offensive player."
The Colts placed Taylor on the active/physically unable to perform list on Tuesday, which means he cannot practice until they transfer him to their active squad. While he endured offseason ankle surgery, the move had not been hinted at beforehand and there was speculation that it might be related to his contract situation.
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Running backs around the NFL, from Saquon Barkley to Josh Jacobs to Austin Ekeler, have decried the devaluation of their position. In fact, stars reportedly met virtually this past weekend to discuss the challenging market after Barkley and Jacobs did not receive multi-year contracts before the July 17 deadline. Barkley ultimately agreed a one-year deal, but Jacobs is considering a holdout through the beginning of the campaign.
Earlier this offseason, Taylor said, "You just want to be treated fairly. Not even treated fairly. You just want to be appreciated for what you bring to the team."
Jonathan Taylor appeared at training camp Wednesday but did not participate in the action. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)General manager Chris Ballard didn't exactly cool the mood earlier this week when he told reporters, "The market is what the market is. But saying that, like I’ve always told you, you pay good players. You pay guys that are gonna help you win, regardless of the position. We think very highly of Jonathan. … We think that’ll play out over time and work out the way it should either way.”
The last component of that comment seemingly indicated he saw a future in which Taylor was not a member of the Colts. Taylor was limited by injury last year, but before that, he gashed NFL defences with a league-best 2,171 all-purpose yards in the 2021 season.
The 24-year-old was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft after a highly productive college career with Wisconsin. With rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson expected to start some games this year, Indianapolis may need to rely heavily on their running game to reduce pressure on their newcomer. Taylor would be a significant part of that.
However, the prospect of a holdout now looms large with Irsay and Kawa openly fighting on social media. All eyes will be on whether Taylor shows up as an observer at training camp for the rest of the week, or if he views this as a final straw that sparks a protest.