The Indianapolis Colts‘ roller coaster saga of Jonathan Taylor trade rumors has less than six hours to go.
One way or the other, by 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. Central) on Tuesday, Taylor’s fate will be decided. That’s the 2026 NFL trade deadline.
Either Taylor will be dealt to a contending team for what the Colts hope will be a high-end return of draft picks.
Or he’ll stay with the Colts, under contract through 2028, potentially a trade candidate again in the offseason but also potentially around for the long haul.
Little updates will emerge all day long, and the latest comes from ESPN.
ESPN Updates Jonathan Taylor Trade Status
The Colts’ beat writer for ESPN is Stephen Holder, and he took to X (formerly Twitter) about six hours before Tuesday’s deadline to share the latest that he knew.
Holder posted this on X:
“On the Colts + the trade deadline: At THIS moment, I believe it would take a significant shift for either Jonathan Taylor or Daniel Jones to end up being traded today. This is NOT a prediction. Things can change. But this is my understanding entering the final hours.”
From Holder’s words, the current expectation is that Taylor will not be traded.
As the well-respected beat writer points out, that could change. But for now, the Colts may be standing pat.
Why Colts Would Keep Jonathan Taylor
The reality is that the Colts have good reason to keep Taylor.
They just signed him to a contract extension this offseason that runs through 2028. No matter what the Colts’ roster looks like in the next two years, having Taylor as an offensive foundation would be a good deal.
Sure, there will be concerns about how a running back might age, and if the Colts are mired in a quarterback slump, maybe Taylor doesn’t matter enough anyway to make a difference.
But Taylor certainly seems to like being in Indianapolis. His wife Ayanna doesn’t seem to want to go anywhere.
It wouldn’t be a shock if the Colts decided to hold onto Taylor, particularly after Holder’s latest update.
ESPN Updates Jonathan Taylor Trade Status