Colts consider placing Jonathan Taylor on NIF as standoff continues. How does it all end?
It’s clear that Jonathan Taylor would like to play elsewhere, what’s not clear is how and when that’ll happen after the franchise stated he won’t be traded.
In the latest twist of the plot, the ongoing standoff between the running back and the Colts has taken an interesting turn with the team indicating that it’s now considering an unconventional move as it looks to bring an end to what is now a problem for everybody involved.
Colts consider placing Jonathan Taylor on NFI
As you may have seen recently, Jonathan Taylor requested a trade from the Indianapolis Colts after asking first asking for a new contract in order to begin training camp. Now it seems that the Colts are in fact considering placing Taylor on the non-football injury list (NFI). According to reports on Sunday, Taylor suffered an injury to his back while working out on his own in Arizona, and is also still recovering from an operation on his ankle which he underwent in January. At present, he is officially on the active/physically unable to perform list (PUP).
To be clear, Taylor is about to enter the final year of his rookie contract and quite frankly has made a strong case for an extension with the team that selected him in the second round of the Draft three years ago. Across the three seasons that he’s played in Indianapolis, Taylor has rushed for 3,841 yards and 33 touchdowns while also posting 802 receiving yards and three touchdowns through the air. In franchise history, he’s the second-fastest player to rush for 3,000 yards (33 games), with just Edgerrin James ahead of him (30 games). His 36 touchdowns are the second most by a Colts player after their first three seasons.
The Colts are standing firm
To date, there has been no movement where Taylor’s contract is concerned. As recently as Thursday, Colts owner Jim Irsay admitted that not only have there been no talks about a new deal, but numbers have even been discussed. This of course is set against the backdrop of a growing discussion about the salaries of running backs in the league. Taylor himself stepped into the fray earlier this month with comments about the fact that RBs weren’t getting paid the money they deserve. This of course brings us to Irsay’s response to Taylor’s trade request, which was strange, to say the least.
“If I die tonight and Jonathan Taylor is out of the league, no one’s gonna miss us, Irsay said. “The league goes on. We know that. The National Football (League) rolls on. It doesn’t matter who comes and who goes, and it’s a privilege to be a part of it.” While there are likely several ways to interpret that statement, Irsay was somewhat clearer when it came to the topic of trading Taylor. “We’re not trading Jonathan...end of discussion,” Irsay said. “Not now and not in October!” At this point, while we’re not sure how this ends, it would seem that Taylor’s time with the Colts has come to an end. As one of the best running backs in the league, it will be interesting to see where he ends up regardless of the dialogue surrounding the position at the moment.