The Colts Will Let Jonathan Taylor Seek A Trade, Want First Round Pick In Return

Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts have spent this offseason at odds with each other, as the young star back is seeking a contract extension, while the Colts have refused to give him the long-term deal he wants. Taylor had a sensational first two seasons in the league, rushing for nearly 3,000 yards and 29 touchdowns in his first 32 games as a professional, but dealt with injuries a year ago that limited him to 861 yards and four touchdowns in 11 games.

Taylor has been away from the Colts for parts of camp amid the contract dispute and requested a trade at the end of July, leading to a truly wild response from owner Jim Irsay. Finally, three weeks later, the team gave the young running back permission to seek a trade, per Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport.

According to Stephen Holder, the Colts will be asking for a first round pick in return for Taylor, which will only make it more difficult to find a trade partner.

The task for Taylor and his agent is to find a team that’s willing to part with serious draft assets — either a first round pick or a collection of picks not dissimilar to the package the Niners gave Carolina for Christian McCaffrey a year ago — and give him the long-term deal he’s seeking. One team that would certainly seem to fit the bill would be the Chicago Bears, who have cap space and could create a dynamic rushing attack with Taylor in the backfield alongside Justin Fields. The question is whether the Bears would give up what the Colts want for Taylor, or if there’s another team out there that values Taylor highly enough to do so.