The Indianapolis Coltstraded one franchise cornerstone on Tuesday in likely future Hall of Fame guard Quenton Nelson. Would the team trade another in running back Jonathan Taylor?
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday's Pat McAfee Show, Colts ownership doesn't inherently want to trade Taylor by the Nov. 10 trade deadline. Schefter also doesn't think Taylor will ultimately get traded. Why is that?
Well, consider first that the Colts literally just extended Taylor in the offseason, signaling the franchise wants him in their future and was willing to pay him to make that happen. Second, Taylor is a wonderful player to have around for a new coaching staff if that's the direction Indianapolis goes in the offseason.
Being able to run the ball is huge when there is quarterback uncertainty; the Colts don't have a clear path to solving its quarterback woes if Daniel Jones can't turn things around. Maybe a new staff can get more out of Jones, but being able to hand the ball off to one of the best running backs in the NFL can alleviate some of that burden.
Between the money and the simple fact that having a great player is easier than not, don't count Taylor a lock to be traded anytime soon. As the show notes, this could all be leverage to get a high draft pick on Indy's part, but it could just also be that the Colts don't want to lose arguably their best player in the midst of a fire sale.
"My understanding is that the Colts don't wanna trade Jonathan Taylor..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 27, 2026
If I had to guess today I don't think that they will trade Jonathan Taylor" ~ @AdamSchefter#PMSLivepic.twitter.com/LJ7WY63hAa
The Colts not holding a 2027 first rounder could hypothetically spark a deal if a team is willing to part with one, but that's rarely a given. We'll see what happens with Taylor, but his being traded is by no means an expectation in Indy.
Who else could be traded by the Colts?
Hear what Schefter has to say.
"I think the players that could be on the move for the Colts are DeForest Buckner, Josh Downs, and Grover Stewart..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 27, 2026
DeForest Buckner is the one that I think will be dealt next" ~ @AdamSchefter#PMSLivepic.twitter.com/8TdB1sPt2V
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why 1 NFL insider thinks Colts may not trade Jonathan Taylor