The second of three big running back contract dominoes went down Wednesday, as Jonathan Taylor reportedly agreed to terms on a two-year extension with the Indianapolis Colts. That news came one day after the Atlanta Falcons struck a new deal with Bijan Robinson.
Taylor, whose previous contract ran through the 2026 season, added another two years to that deal, with $39 million guaranteed and up to $47 million total. The last domino to fall will be Jahmyr Gibbs, who is currently a “hold in” at Detroit Lions training camp.
Unlike Robinson and Gibbs, both of whom are going into their fourth year in the league, Taylor has been at it since 2020. In his six NFL seasons thus far, Taylor has rushed for 7,598 yards — including 3,016 yards in just the last two seasons. At 27 years old, Taylor is still in his prime and should continue to march up the all-time rushing list.
Taylor currently ranks 62nd all-time in rushing yards. If he averages 1,000 yards over the next three seasons, which should be easy if he stays relatively healthy, he’ll be right around the top 25.
And if Taylor remains with the Colts for the rest of his career, he’ll end up in a very exclusive NFL club.
Taylor currently ranks fifth in rushing yards among active players, behind Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Aaron Jones. In addition to the fact that Taylor has played fewer years than those four, he’s also the only one of those players who has played for just one team.
In fact, Taylor already ranks seventh on the all-time rushing yards list of players who spent their entire career with one team.
That might sound surprising, but playing for just one team has been the exception to the rule for years. Roger Craig, who will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend, is only thought of as a San Francisco 49er. But after eight seasons with the 49ers, Craig played one year with the Los Angeles Raiders and two with the Minnesota Vikings.
Only two of the top 10 all-time rushers played for one team: Walter Payton (second) with the Chicago Bears and Barry Sanders (fourth) with the Detroit Lions.
If Taylor gains another 2,852 yards with the Colts, he’ll rank fourth all-time among one-team players — behind Hall of Famers Payton, Sanders and Jim Brown.
There are two other active players among the top 12 all-time one-teamers: Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints is ninth (71st on the overall all-time list with 7,250 yards) and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is 12th (89th on the all-time list with 6,522 yards).
Taylor’s new deal came much easier than his last one. Prior to the start of the 2023 season, Taylor wasn’t happy with the Colts’ offer and requested a trade. Fortunately for both sides, they worked through it and agreed to terms in October of that year.
Taylor will turn 30 weeks after the 2028 season is over, which is how long the new contract runs. Will the Colts still offer top dollar to a running back going into his 10th season? Time will tell. But if Taylor remains a Colt for the rest of his career, he’ll have a special place in NFL history.
