There still appear to be a handful of teams interested in trading with the Indianapolis Colts for Jonathan Taylor.
Nothing has been completed yet, though. The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. Central). Taylor is still with the Colts as of Saturady.
Taylor is expected to even take the field once more for the Colts, at least, when they take on the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday in Week 9.
But after that game’s conclusion, Taylor will be the main focus. Will the Colts trade him by Tuesday or not?
If they don’t, they get to keep him going forward — he signed an extension in the summer that takes Taylor through the 2028 season.
There could still be more Taylor trade rumors in the future even if he isn’t dealt now, but it’ll have to be by Tuesday if it’s going to happen this season.
With that in mind, ESPN has even made a prediction of what such a trade might look like.
And in this case, it’s connecting the Colts to the Minnesota Vikings.
Colts-Vikings Jonathan Taylor Trade Prediction
In a new article for ESPN.com on Saturday, Judy Battista predicted that Taylor will be traded to the Minnesota Vikings.
The proposed deal would return four 2027 draft picks to the Colts — a second-rounder, a third-rounder, and two fifth-rounders (including one from the New York Giants).
It’s just a tiny bit less than the 49ers gave up for Christian McCaffrey from the Panthers in 2022 — they gave a fourth-rounder in there and just one fifth-round pick, not two.
“It’s a haul (similar to one that sent RB Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers in 2022), but the Vikings need Taylor’s home run threat to pair with QB Kyler Murray’s explosive rushing ability,” Battista writes. “Up until this point of the season, their offense has been largely stagnant despite the presence of receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. The Vikings have arguably the best defense in the league, but they’ll need to score points for a deep playoff run. The Colts, engaged in a fire sale and potentially hoping to get a first-rounder for Taylor, get plenty of draft picks to help kickstart what looks like a total rebuild.”
This aligns with the general expectation that it seems like the Colts won’t get a first-rounder for Taylor — but a trade of this magnitude would still be good for Indianapolis.
Vikings’ RB Needs
The Vikings have Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason, but both are aging and injury-prone.
Taylor would make it a lot simpler. Rather than rotating those two running backs, Taylor would simply get the heavy majority of the work.
Minnesota has a dominant, blitz-happy defense. Pairing that with a ball-control RB like Taylor could be a great combination for the Vikigns.
ESPN Predicts Colts Trade Jonathan Taylor to Vikings for 4 Assets