The Green Bay Packers have a disappointing running back room. Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Colts are sitting at 2-3 and facing a disappointing season as injuries mount. It could lead to the Packers calling the Colts for Jonathan Taylor, according to Wendell Ferreira of A to Z Sports.
Ferreira notes that while the Colts extended Taylor this offseason, his contract is very tradeable.
“Taylor signed a two-year, $44 million extension with the Colts in August,” wrote Ferreira. “An acquiring team would pay him around $3.5 million for the rest of 2026, then $16 million in 2027 and $17.98 million in 2028. Nothing beyond 2026 is fully guaranteed, and the 2027 salary only becomes fully guaranteed on Feb. 19. Before that, it is guaranteed for injury only.”
Taylor and a sixth-round pick could get the Colts a second-round pick back from the Packers, according to their trade calculator.
Green Bay Packers Could Add Jonathan Taylor at Trade Deadline
Taylor has ascended to being one of the best running backs in the NFL. The former 41st overall pick hit the ground running as a rookie, with 232 rushes for 1,169 yards and 11 touchdowns. His second NFL season was his career year. Taylor put up 332 rushes for 1,811 yards and 18 touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl and was named to the first-team All-Pro.
Unfortunately, injuries halted his run in the next two seasons. He had 192 rushes for 861 yards in 2022. Then, he posted 169 attempts for 741 yards the following year.
Fortunately, he has remained healthy the past two seasons. Taylor had 303 rushes for 1,431 yards in 2024. The next year, he had 323 rushes for 1,585 yards in 2025. He made the Pro Bowl in both seasons.
So far this year, Taylor has 101 rushes for 398 yards. That would be the lowest yards per carry of his career. The offense is struggling, and the team seems to be getting closer to resetting the roster this offseason. If they can move off of Taylor and add a strong draft asset, it would make sense.
Packers Need a Running Back
The Packers’ running back room has remained a problem this year. They are waiting for the NFL to come to a decision on Josh Jacobs. He remains on the Commissioner Exempt List. The issue is that the NFL does not have much evidence to review, and it is getting harder for them to get any more information than what they have.
So, the decision the NFL makes could go in a lot of different directions. Green Bay can sit around and wait for the NFL to decide his fate, or they can move on and try to upgrade from him.
As things stand, they do not have anyone who can take touches away from Jacobs when he comes back. MarShawn Lloyd has 40 rushes for 112 yards. Kaleb Johnson has 27 rushes for 106 yards. Chris Brooks has 15 rushes for 70 yards. In total, the Packers have 302 rushing yards, which is 96 fewer than Taylor does himself. They do not have much coming from the room right now. A trade for Taylor would help.
Packers Urged to Trade for $44M Star Amid Rushing Struggles