The Minnesota Vikings‘ run game has managed just fine with Aaron Jones Sr. and Jordan Mason through five games, four of which Mason missed with a thumb injury, but neither is under contract beyond this season and neither profiles as a full-time starting running back moving forward.
That said, Minnesota might still be better served to explore deals for a defensive tackle or a safety rather than a RB ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline on November 10, given their immediate needs as viewed through the lens of this campaign.
But when opportunity knocks and a game-changing player is waiting on the other side, it’s typically a door that soon-to-be-great teams open.
Enter Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts.
Vikings Offense Trending Up, as Team Prepares for Colts After Bye Week
The Vikings host the Colts on Sunday, October 25 in a game that could render Minnesota an undefeated 6-0 and put Indianapolis’s season on the brink with five losses through seven games. Colts QB Daniel Jones is struggling after returning from an Achilles tendon tear last year, while the defense ranks 24th in yards allowed per game through Week 6.
Indy just fired long-time general manager Chris Ballard on Monday, and head coach Shane Steichen could be next — really at any point during the year, or after it. Players like defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and quarterback Anthony Richardson could be on the trade block in Indianapolis, though neither has the potential to shake up the league the way a Taylor trade might.
That is particularly possible if the three-time Pro Bowler lands with a team like the Vikings, who are atop the NFL in defense and special teams with an offense that is getting healthy and trending upward coming off a bye that followed quarterback Kyler Murray’s best game of the season in Week 5.
Colts Star Jonathan Taylor Among Top Running Backs in NFL
Taylor does not turn 28 years old until January and is under contract through the 2028 campaign. He inked a two-year contract extension worth $44 million total in early August.
The running back is a workhorse who led the NFL in rush attempts last year with 323 carries. He added a league-leading 18 rushing TDs and 1,585 yards on the ground. Taylor also caught 46 passes for 378 yards and two scores.
He has a strong argument as a top-three running back behind Bijan Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons and Jahmyr Gibbs of the Detroit Lions after tallying 492 rushing yards and seven scores alongside 15 receptions for 163 yards across six games played thus far.
Taylor might lose that argument given the play of Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III, but Taylor is inarguably near the top of league at his position, which should continue over the next few seasons assuming relative health.
If Minnesota inquires about Taylor, the Vikings will probably have to fork over a second-round pick, and potentially another mid-to-late-round asset, to acquire him. But that is a price worth paying if the payoff is a Super Bowl.
Just ask the 2024 Philadelphia Eagles, who paid Saquon Barkley big money in free agency ahead of that season. They went on to win the championship, while Barkley led the league in rushing and earned Offensive Player of the Year honors, as well as a ring, in the process.
Vikings Trade Pitch Succeeds Jones, Mason With $44 Million Pro Bowler