The Minnesota Vikings are among the teams reportedly interested in Jonathan Taylor. Furthermore, with the Indianapolis Colts beginning their fire sale on Oct. 27 with the trades of DeForest Buckner and Quenton Nelson, there’s a chance that the running back could be on the move.
Nonetheless, the latest update from ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter suggests that the Colts want to hold onto their star running back, or at least it might be a hint that they haven’t received an offer that would cause them to trade him yet.
“The big name is Jonathan Taylor, and my understanding is that the owner doesn’t want to trade him,” Schefter said during an Oct. 27 appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “We have two weeks until the deadline. I’m sure they don’t want to trade Jonathan Taylor, and if I had to guess today, I would say I don’t think they will trade him.
“I think there are going to be teams out there that are interested and will try to have conversations and make offers. If the Colts don’t change their stance, they won’t trade Jonathan Taylor. Again, I think the owner doesn’t want to trade him right now, for the record. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen. By the way, that may just be their stance to drive up the price.”
Why Colts Might Want to Hold Onto Jonathan Taylor
Meanwhile, during that same segment, ESPN’s Pat McAfee understood why the Colts are having this inner battle of whether or not to trade Taylor, given that players of his caliber don’t just pop up.
“Jonathan Taylor is by far one of the best running backs in the league,” McAfee said. “There’s no question about it. He is so good, always scoring touchdowns and always moving forward. He has been a bright spot for the Colts over the years since he got here.”
McAfee also noted that whoever is the next Colts general manager might want to have Taylor as part of their rebuild.
“If they did want to move on from him, whoever the future GM is, even if it’s Ed Dodds, and whoever the next coach is, maybe Shane Steichen stays,” McAfee added. “Maybe it was just Chris Ballard, and we keep everybody from within. I don’t know how that’s going to go.
“If you win games, nobody cares. If you lose games, everybody’s going to get very loud about it. Whoever is next would want Jonathan Taylor on the team. I think that would certainly be a benefit to whoever is tasked with this next iteration of the Indianapolis Colts.”
What Could the Vikings Offer for Jonathan Taylor?
As for what the Vikings could give up for Taylor, Judd Zulgad of “Purple Daily,” revealed a trade idea that could see Minnesota keep a major asset: It’s first round pick.
“I am offering the Colts a 2027 third-round pick, a 2027 fifth-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and, if need be, a 2028 sixth-round pick for Jonathan Taylor,” Zulgad said in an Oct. 26 video from SKOR North.
It will be interesting to see if that potential trade offer be enough to entice the Colts to agree to trade Taylor to further add to their team’s draft capital.
Vikings Receive Big Jonathan Taylor Update Amid Colts Trades