The 2026 season is a lost cause for the Indianapolis Colts, and most of their moves ahead of the NFL trade deadline were proof of a team that’s ready to embrace a full rebuild.
But somehow, the most valuable asset on their roster still remained after 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
The trade deadline came and went without the Colts trading star running back Jonathan Taylor, leaving Colts fans (and the rest of us) wondering what in the world the team is thinking.
Prior to the deadline, the Colts sent a host of veterans elsewhere. All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson was dealt to the Seattle Seahawks, while wide receivers Josh Downs and Keenan Allen were sent to the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers respectively. Defensive lineman DeForest Buckner was also traded to the 49ers.
But Taylor, arguably the biggest name on the trade market across the entire league, still finds himself in Indy, despite a report that the New York Giants were willing to send multiple draft picks to the Colts for his services:
Sure, it’s one thing to trade away aging veterans or players on the final year of their current contract who are unlikely to re-sign in the offeason. Taylor has two more years left on his deal, and is still in the prime of his career as one of the best running backs in the NFL.
But that’s exactly why it makes no sense for this Colts team to keep him.
Thanks to a previous trade by Chris Ballard, who was recently relieved of his duties, the Colts don’t have their first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. That pick is currently tracking to be a top-five selection, but it’s the New York Jets who will get to use it. As much as it hurts for the Colts to watch that pick keep climbing while they trade away their best players, Taylor is the one player who would have returned the most valuable compensation package.
Even if that was just a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick from the Giants, that’s more than the Colts’ next GM will be able to get for Taylor at any point in the future. Even if that happens in the coming offseason, Taylor will be another year older with another half-season of a heavy workload.
It’s understandable that the Colts wanted at least a first-round pick in return for Taylor, but if the Giants’ offer was the best one they got, they’re highly unlikely to get a better offer down the road. And by the time this rebuild is at the point where they Colts can be competitive again, Taylor will be pushing 30 with an expiring contract. Good luck getting anything close to that kind of return for anyone.
Instead, Taylor has to finish out this lost season in Indy after watching many of his best teammates shipped off to contenders, while the Colts expect him to keep shouldering that heavy workload against defenses who won’t have much else to worry about.
Fire sales are never fun, but they can eventually work when a team completely rips off the band-aid. This feels like a half-measure the Colts will regret whenever they do end up moving on from Taylor.
