The Indianapolis Colts were quite busy ahead of the 2026 NFL trade deadline, as they ended up moving on from four players who were on expiring contracts. Of course, the biggest move for the Colts was the one they didn’t make, as they opted to hang onto superstar running back Jonathan Taylor past the trade deadline.
With Indy listening to offers on Taylor, his name was popping up in rumors for weeks ahead of the deadline. And yet, when all was said and done, he found himself remaining with the only team he has ever played for in the NFL. With his future tied to the Colts, Taylor made his thoughts very clear on the team’s decision to not trade him ahead of the deadline.
Jonathan Taylor Addresses Colts’ Controversial Trade Decision
Taylor has been bogged down by the Colts’ mediocre offense this season, but when he’s at his best, he’s arguably the top running back in the league. As a result, it wasn’t much of a surprise to see him generate a ton of interest on the trade market once it was revealed that Indianapolis’ new-look front office was listening to offers for him.
And yet, whereas a guy like Josh Downs publicly requested a trade, it never seemed like Taylor was dead set on getting traded by Indy. The front office was also never fully committed to moving Taylor, as it made it clear it was looking for a massive return if it was going to move him. Ultimately, it didn’t receive the sort of offer it was looking for, so Taylor is staying put for the time being.
At times over the past few weeks, Taylor made comments that insinuated he was almost expecting to get traded, so now that he has remained with the team, some folks wondered how he would feel about staying in town. When speaking to reporters, Taylor made it clear he’s committed to his team, shooting down the notion that he would be upset to have not gotten traded.
“That’s way above my pay grade,” Taylor said when asked about the Colts’ trade deadline dealings. “Those are some hard decisions that you have to make. I’m glad I don’t have to make those decisions. I’m glad I just have to come in here, make sure that I’m at my best each and every single day for my coaches and my teammates … I know that they have a vision and a plan for it, and right now, we’ve just got to execute.”
Should the Colts Have Traded Jonathan Taylor?
Indianapolis is clearly rebuilding, so it was somewhat surprising to see the team opt to hang onto Taylor after openly exploring a trade for him. The sense of urgency that existed with other pending free agents, though, didn’t exist for Taylor, as he is under contract through the 2028 campaign. As a result, the Colts weren’t going to move him unless they were blown away by another team’s offer.
A trade involving Taylor could be revisited over the offseason, but Indy has made it clear he’s a guy it wants to build around. Whether or not it will actually have the chance to do that, though, is unknown, and there’s a decent chance that the front office will have a better shot at getting the sort of return for Taylor that it is looking for over the offseason. For now, though, his main focus involves finding a way to help his team beat the Miami Dolphins in Week 10.
Jonathan Taylor Breaks Silence on Colts Trade Deadline Decision