Getty Patriots owner Robert Kraft doesn't have an elite playmaker on his squad.
Of all the skill players linked to the New England Patriots this year, Jonathan Taylor arguably takes the cake as one of the youngest elite players in football.
The 24-year-old Indianapolis Colts star running back wants a trade, and the Patriots need an elite playmaker. Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton proposed that the Patriots trade a 2024 second-round pick for the recent All-Pro and Pro Bowler.
“The Patriots don’t have a history of paying running backs, but with $15.5 million in cap space, they should alter their philosophy for a former rushing champion,” Moton wrote.
Moton acknowledged Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson‘s success from 2022 with 1,461 yards and six touchdowns. However, the Patriots finished 24th overall in rushing as Moton noted.
“Despite Stevenson’s upside, the Patriots may prefer that he split the backfield workload with another established playmaker,” Moton wrote. “Taylor and Stevenson could rush for 1,000-plus yards apiece as third-year quarterback Mac Jones tries to bounce back from a frustrating 2022 campaign.”
Taylor has two 1,000-yard rushing seasons in his three-year career. Overall, he has a career average of 5.1 yards per carry amid 756 attempts for 3,841 yards and 33 touchdowns.
New England could utilize Taylor in the passing game, too, which would help Jones. Taylor has 104 receptions for 802 yards and three touchdowns in his career.
Jones could use the support — especially after a subpar 2022 season and the recent ups and downs of training camp. The Patriots didn’t acquire true No. 1 wide receiver this offseason after the departure of Jakobi Meyers as skepticism surrounds the current receiver corps.
Patriots Focused on Filling Running Back Depth
New England also lost running back depth when the team released James Robinson last month due to injury issues. Depth also took a hit when Ty Montgomery endured a leg injury at training camp on July 27.
Since the Robinson release and before the Montgomery injury, the Patriots have shown interest in free agent running backs. Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette, and Darrell Henderson all visited the Patriots this month.
New England has also been “intrigued” in Dalvin Cook amid the AFC East tug-of-war for the former Minnesota Vikings star. All of the aforementioned running backs are older than Taylor, and the value of running backs depreciates quickly with age in the NFL.
“With a wandering eye for running backs and an injured player at the position, the Patriots may make an offer for Taylor to field a dominant rushing duo for the foreseeable future,” Moton wrote.
Jonathan Taylor Faces Tough Market
Taylor has one season left on his rookie deal of four years, $7.82 million. His trade request comes amid a declining market for running backs across the league.
While the top eight running backs all make $10 million or more annually, teams releasing running backs over salary cap issues became a trend this offseason. Fournette, Elliott, and Cook all had sizable contracts with their former teams.
Whether or not Taylor becomes available for a trade remains to be seen. Colts owner Jim Irsay claims he won’t trade Taylor this year.
“We’re not trading Jonathan … end of discussion,” Irsay told reporters via ESPN on July 30. “Not now and not in October!”