The Minnesota Vikings are reportedly among the teams that have an interest in the Indianapolis Colts‘ Jonathan Taylor. Nonetheless, whether that interest turns into an actual serious offer for the running back remains to be seen.
Moreover, insider updates have raised a lot of doubt as to whether the Colts seriously want to trade their running back.
Despite potential doubt about whether Indianapolis will trade Taylor or whether the Vikings will be willing to part with the draft capital needed, one reporter still sees Minnesota as a team that could make a move for the Colts star.
Vikings reporter for The Athletic, Alec Lewis, stated that he isn’t ruling out Minnesota making that big trade for Taylor.
“People have asked me about [the Taylor trade rumor], and what can I report? I’ve said the same thing: I’m not going to rule it out because I know they want to be active,” Lewis said in an Oct. 29 video from “Vikings Collective.”
“I also know the need at the running back position right now. I just spent a lot of time talking about split safety and their inability to run against split safety. An elite running back would obviously help with that.”
Vikings GM Needs to Weigh Winning Now and the Future
Taylor has played 319 total snaps for the Colts this season, leading to a 65.3 overall PFF grade. Moreover, he has carried the ball 140 times for 587 rushing yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 4.2 yards per attempt on the ground and forcing 16 missed tackles as a runner.
In the passing game, Taylor has caught 17 passes on 24 targets for 178 receiving yards.
Furthermore, Lewis does point out the balance that Vikings general manager Nolan Teasley needs to walk here. Teasley does have veteran players and will soon need to inject youth via the draft, so does he want to give up draft picks for Taylor to win now?
“How invested do you need to be in this specific year when you have a first-year GM in the front office who hasn’t had a chance to put his fingerprints on an aging roster that’s going to need youth?” Lewis added. “It’s a sticky situation in some capacity, in my opinion.”
NFL Insider Shares Colts’ Stance on Trading Jonathan Taylor
Meanwhile, 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.”
Vikings Insider Offers Blunt Update on Jonathan Taylor Trade Rumor