The Denver Broncos may have learned a lesson from 2025, when they balked at trading for Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle — a decision that may have cost them a Super Bowl spot.
Don’t expect any such reticence in 2026 — ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport named the Broncos as one of the teams circling a trade with the Indianapolis Colts for NFL All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor ahead of the November 10 NFL trade deadline.
Schefter and Rapoport reported that the Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, and Minnesota Vikings are chasing Taylor. The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones added the New York Giants to the list of “possible suitors.”
According to Rapoport, the Colts are 2-4 and face a “three-game season” that will determine whether they are indeed sellers at the trade deadline.
“The Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and Vikings are among the teams that have pondered, or are expected to consider, the possibility of a trade for the star running back, according to sources,” Schefter and Rapoport wrote on Sunday morning.
Jonathan Taylor: Elite RB on Terrible Team
Taylor, 5-foot-10 and 226 pounds, has toiled as one of the NFL’s elite running backs on one of the league’s worst teams and worst-run franchises since the Colts drafted him in the 2nd round (No. 41 overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft after a record-setting career at Wisconsin.
As a rookie, Taylor rushed for 1,169 yards and 11 touchdowns in 15 games before leading the NFL with 1,851 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns in 2021.
After two injury-riddled seasons in 2022 and 2023, Taylor bounced back in a big way, rushing for 1,431 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2024 and 1,585 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns in 2025.
Taylor has already cashed out two massive contracts in his short career — a 3-year, $42 million contract extension in 2023 and a 2-year, $44 million contract extension signed before the 2026 season.
Denver Broncos’ RB Investments Not Paying Off
The Broncos have seemingly done everything they could to shore up the running back position — except make a blockbuster trade.
The Broncos invested in free-agent running back J.K. Dobbins with a 2-year, $16 million contract in the offseason, despite myriad injury concerns. They also drafted running backs in each of the last two years, using a 2nd-round pick on RJ Harvey in 2025 and a 4th-round pick on Jonah Coleman in 2026.
Nothing has worked. Through six games, those three running backs have combined for just 346 yards and 4 touchdowns, and none of them are averaging over 4.0 yards per carry.
Broncos Circling Trade for $44 Million All-Pro RB: Report