Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is “incensed” by his situation with the Colts, according to ESPN’s Stephen Holder.
“Multiple sources have told ESPN that Taylor is incensed about his situation and has been for quite some time,” Holder wrote.
“Taylor’s agent, Malki Kawa, tweeted on Thursday that he doubted the relationship between the Colts and Taylor can be fixed. And that, as well as Kawa tweeting it’s bad faith not to pay your top offensive player, might have ratcheted things up.”
On Saturday, news of Taylor’s trade request broke after a meeting with Colts owner Jim Irsay.
However, it appears that Irsay does not plan to honor the request ahead of the 2023 season.
“As for the Colts, they have taken a firm position based on Irsay’s unequivocal statement about refusing to trade Taylor,” Holder wrote. “What happens next is anyone’s guess, but the state of the relationship between Taylor and the Colts is as bad as it gets between a player and team.”
This is a messy situation for a Colts team that is looking to rebuild its roster after landing a top draft pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The team took quarterback Anthony Richardson, but it could make things tougher on the rookie if Taylor is not in the backfield for the team.
Taylor’s agent doubts that the relationship between Taylor and the Colts’ ownership can be repaired, which is certainly problematic since he’s heading into the final season of his rookie contract.
An All-Pro player in the 2021 season, Taylor carried the ball a league-high 332 times. He led the NFL in rushing yards (1,811), rushing touchdowns (18) and yards from scrimmage (2,171) that season.
Injuries limited Taylor to just 11 games in the 2022 campaign, and the Colts’ offense struggled because of it. Taylor finished the season with 192 carries for 861 yards and four rushing touchdowns.
There’s no doubt that Taylor raises the ceiling of the Colts offense, but the Colts don’t appear to be willing to give him the extension that he wants. Running backs across the league have been fighting for better contracts, but teams have looked at the position as replaceable in recent seasons.
Taylor, who will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason, could end up getting franchise tagged by Indianapolis.
If that were to happen, it would likely make the relationship between the two sides even worse. The Colts first have to find a way to get through the 2023 season amicably enough so Taylor still suits up for the team.
