Colts running back Jonathan Taylor denies franchise’s claims about a back injury. What happens now?
As the saga between the RB and the team continues, he’s now thrown a wrench into the mix by denying claims made by the franchise about him.
If one thing is clear, it’s that the situation between the franchise and their running back is now untenable. Not that it wasn’t already the case in the wake of his trade request, but the latest plot twist has left many wondering how it will all end.
Colts’ Jonathan Taylor denies reports of back injury.
Having passed the point of no return where their relationship is concerned, the Indianapolis Colts and running back Jonathan Taylor continue to maintain their standoff. You may have seen that Taylor asked for a trade after his request for a new contract ahead of training camp was denied. Since then, Taylor has refused to come to camp, which as you can probably imagine has only further fanned the flames of speculation about how this situation will actually be resolved.
Then, came our most recent report about the claims that the Colts were considering placing Taylor on the non-football injury list (NFI). It was understood at the time that Taylor had suffered an injury to his back while working out on his own in Arizona, something which drew greater concern as he was said to still be rehabbing from an operation on his ankle which he underwent in January. If you’re wondering, it would not be ideal in the least for Taylor to be placed on the NFI list as he would enter free agency as a restricted player and not an unrestricted one. This of course brings us to the present, where it seems that Taylor has now refuted the claims made by the franchise. On Sunday evening, the 24-year-old took to Twitter - see above - to state that he’s never had a back problem. Needless to say, Taylor’s declaration is the direct opposite of the narrative that’s been maintained by the Colts.
What’s Jonathan Taylor’s present situation?
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.
Where do the Colts stand on Jonathan Taylor
This is where things get a little bizarre. Just last week, Colts owner Jim Irsay admitted that no contract talks have taken place with Taylor, not even exchanging any numbers. 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. With that, we come 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!”