The Minnesota Vikings have not said they want to trade for a running back, let alone a high-end and expensive one like Jonathan Taylor — but the motive, means and opportunity all exist for the league’s last undefeated team to make off with the three-time Pro Bowl RB in an NFL version of a blockbuster talent heist.
Indianapolis has signaled its position as perhaps the biggest sellers ahead of the trade deadline (November 10), moving fast and hard on Tuesday, October 27 on two deals that shipped recent Pro Bowlers to contenders.
First, the Colts sent eight-time Pro Bowl offensive guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a third-round pick in 2027 and a fifth-rounder in 2028. Just hours later, Indy shipped off three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers for a fourth-round selection next year.
“Reunion! The Colts are trading three-time Pro Bowl DL DeForest Buckner to the 49ers for a 2027 fourth-round pick, sources tell @ringer @netflixsports,” Tom Pelissero reported via X. “Buckner came to San Francisco as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2016 [draft]. A decade later, he’s back.”
Not only do the Colts’ moves signal that essentially any player on the team is for sale at the right price, but that elite talent can be had at reasonable value.
Taylor’s cost is likely to fall in the range of a second-round pick, which should prove more than worth it to the Vikings given that they are the sole undefeated team in the NFL, even despite the state of their offense.
Adding Elite Running Back Like Jonathan Taylor Best, Perhaps Only, Way for Vikings to Elevate Offense
All of this is good news for the Vikings if they intend to take a swing on a major offensive roster improvement.
The only logical way to achieve a jump on that side of the football is to slot in a top-10 running back. Dealing for a quarterback at this point probably doesn’t change the facts on the ground in 2026, which all point to Kyler Murray being mediocre, at best.
That means the team will continue to get less than maximum possible production from an elite wide receiver Justin Jefferson who is suffering through another subpar year, at least by his standards, as he battles through QB purgatory.
Vikings Have Questions at RB Amid Injury to Aaron Jones Sr.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters Monday that he doesn’t believe the team’s RB room has a depth deficiency, even after Aaron Jones Sr. suffered a re-aggravation of an existing knee injury against the Colts on Sunday and could miss time moving forward.
“I feel good about the room, and we’ll meet as a staff and get together with Nolan [Teasley] here and talk through that, what it looks like,” O’Connell said. “But with where Aaron’s at and [how] we feel coming out of the game, I don’t necessarily see it as a depth issue at all. But obviously, things could change as we go day-to-day here.”
Meanwhile, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reported that Minnesota is likely to get more serious about the trade market this week.
“The #Vikings are expected to ‘further ramp up’ conversations with teams on available players via trade this week, @alec_lewis mentioned via @AlecLewisShow,” the VikingzFanPage wrote on X.
The Colts’ actions have now set the stage for the Vikings to take the one Super Bowl swing they can via an offer for Taylor. The only question remaining is whether they’re willing to make the move.
Vikings Get Good Jonathan Taylor News via Colts’ Buckner Trade