The Indianapolis Colts previously said they didn't want to trade Jonathan Taylor at all, but they have quickly changed their tune and are open to dealing him...for the right price.
According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, the Colts have already turned down "a 2027 second-round draft pick plus an additional pick" for their star running back, who is being labelled the "face of the franchise".
The Colts are changing their tune at just the right time. After trading away both Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner earlier in the week, they've held out on possibly trading Taylor. Entering the weekend, however, he could lose trade value with an injury in the Colts' matchup against the Jaguars.
If there is any real chance the Colts are trading him, they're sending a message that the best offers need to come in now.
Colts revealing an extremely high asking price for RB Jonathan Taylor
If contending teams are the ones pursuing Jonathan Taylor (Vikings, Broncos, Bengals, Seahawks, etc.), then it makes sense that the Colts would be holding out for more than just a 2nd-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, even if the pot is sweetened with another Day 3 draft pick.
Not that they're going to get this, but a lot of folks have pointed to the package the Panthers once received from the 49ers in exchange for Christian McCaffrey as a fair deal for Taylor:
- 2nd-round pick
- 3rd-round pick
- 4th-round pick
- 5th-round pick (future)
Again, it seems far-fetched to think the Colts would get that kind of haul for Jonathan Taylor right now, but they might at least be trying to squeeze both a 2nd-round pick and a 3rd-round pick out of whatever team is most desperately trying to trade for him.
And they probably want them both in 2027.
We're making a lot of assumptions here, but trying to work out what the Colts would actually accept for Jonathan Taylor isn't all that complicated. They're not going to get a 1st-round pick for a veteran running back, but they could still get a couple (or a few) really valuable darts in next year's draft.
What draft capital does each team in the Jonathan Taylor sweepstakes have?
The Minnesota Vikings have their own picks in the first three rounds of the 2027 NFL Draft right now, as well as the Philadelphia Eagles' 3rd-round pick from the Jonathan Greenard trade.
The Cincinnati Bengals have their own picks in all 7 rounds, plus they are expected to receive a 3rd-round compensatory selection after losing Trey Hendrickson to the Ravens in free agency.
The Denver Broncos have their own picks in all 7 rounds as well, plus they are expected to get a 4th-round compensatory pick for the loss of John Franklin-Myers in free agency.
The Seattle Seahawks have their own picks in the first two rounds, but they only have projected compensatory picks in the 3rd round and 4th round.
Other teams like the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers have shown some level of interest up to this point, and the Giants have all of their top three picks while the Packers have five total picks from the 2nd-4th rounds, but no 1st-round pick (Micah Parsons trade).
Predicting the eventual cost to acquire Jonathan Taylor
If the Colts do eventually part ways with Jonathan Taylor, I think they are going to get something in the realm of 2nd- and 3rd-round picks. The tricky follow-up to that is whether the Colts would require both of those selections be part of the 2027 NFL Draft.
If that's the case, it wouldn't be surprising if they had to send a later draft selection back to the team acquiring Taylor.
So, it could be something like Jonathan Taylor and a 5th or 6th to a team for 2nd- and 3rd-round picks.
That feels like a fair price to pay for someone of Taylor's caliber, given the fact that he's under contract for multiple years after this year, and given the upcharge for teams being "desperate" for in-season help as they chase a Super Bowl.
Add us as a preferred source on Google