The Indianapolis Colts appear to be far from finding an answer as to where to move running back Jonathan Taylor, who could be eligible to play as soon as Week 5.
“My understanding has been, there’s really been nothing close to this point to what the Colts would want,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said Friday on the Rich Eisen show.
Pelissero said the Colts’ ask is “roughly” equivalent to the value of a “high second-round pick.”
“The Colts want more than that for Jonathan Taylor,” Pelissero said. “Nobody’s been close, doesn’t mean something won’t arise here… but as of right now, there’s nothing imminent on a trade.”
Pelissero’s comments are at the 3:30 mark of the video below.
Taylor has been on the physically unable to perform list due to an ankle injury since late July. The former All-Pro, who has one year remaining on his rookie contract, “doesn’t want to play for the Colts,” ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported Wednesday.
Graziano’s report follows a public contract dispute between Taylor and the Colts during which the team reportedly declined to make him one of the highest-paid running backs in the NFL, leading to Taylor requesting a trade in July.
Pelissero said he expected trade talks to “heat up” Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday following the Colts’ Week 4 game against the Los Angeles Rams.
According to A to Z Sports’ Destin Adams, the Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Washington Commanders have expressed interest in acquiring Taylor.
Taylor recorded a career-low 861 rushing yards last season after being limited by the ankle injury that led him to miss six games and undergo surgery in January.
The season prior, he led the NFL with 1,811 yards on 332 carries as he finished second in Offensive Player of the Year voting.
Pelissero described the Colts’ preferred haul for their star RB as a return similar to the four draft picks the San Francisco 49ers gave up to acquire All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey last year. The 49ers dealt second, third and fourth round picks from the 2023 draft and a 2024 fifth-rounder to the Carolina Panthers to grab McCaffrey, whose AAV of over $16 million gives him the highest annual running back salary in the league.
Taylor, who is set to make $4.3 million this season, hopes to get to McCaffrey’s level after his rookie deal expires. First, the Colts need to figure out where he’ll be playing during his 2023 contract season.
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