23 August 2023 , 22:01
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The Indianapolis Colts have made the NFL aware that they are listening to offers for superstar running back Jonathan Taylor, and those have now come in.
It has been revealed by ESPN that the Colts have received two offers for Taylor and received six other calls - despite their hefty asking price. Taylor has been away from training with the team after they placed a non-football injury designation on him, with the team listing that he has a back injury.
However, Taylor has stated that he has no such injury - and is ready to play. But to do so, he is looking for a new deal from the team. The upcoming week is set to be crucial in Taylor's future, with next Tuesday being the day when teams cut their roster down from 90 to 53 players.
With Taylor currently on the PUP list (physically unable to perform), the team must activate him before then or he will have to sit out the first four games of the season. It is unclear which teams are interested in Taylor, but it is believed that the Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears are frontrunners.
The Colts owner Jim Irsay had initially wanted to keep Taylor, but will now let him explore a trade should a team meet their demands - of value equal to a first-round pick. 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."
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It is unclear which teams have shown legitimate interest in TaylorGeneral manager Chris Ballard responded: "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."
Taylor is set to earn $4.304 million (£3.38m) this season, which is a reasonable price as his salary ranks 18th amongst all running backs. However, he is asking for a new deal - despite having an injury-hit season in 2022 coming off the back of his excellent 2021 year.
It's unlikely that the Colts will receive a first-round pick for the running back, given the current market being devalued at the position.