The trade deadline is officially in the rearview mirror, and the Indianapolis Colts were quite busy, as expected. However, even though they moved on from some of their veterans, Jonathan Taylor isn't going anywhere.
The Colts spent the past couple of weeks letting teams know that they weren't interested in trading their star running back. They honored that word on November 10, turning down big offers centered around second-round picks.
While that makes sense to a degree, it may also have been an emotional and short-sighted approach. Taylor might be the face of the offense and the new face of the franchise after all the trades, but he was also their most valuable trade asset at a time of great need.
The Indianapolis Colts should've traded Jonathan Taylor when they could've
The Colts don't have a first-round pick in 2027, but that's not the only thing they're missing. This team lacks direction; they don't have a general manager, will most likely fire their head coach, and there's just too much uncertainty about the future of the organization.
So, even if trading Taylor wouldn't give this team a first-rounder, it would've given them another valuable asset to either use or flip to get the new era of Colts football started. This roster isn't good enough to compete at the highest level, especially not after losing Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner.
Taylor is under contract for two more years, but we've seen how quickly running backs can fall from grace. He's averaging a career-worst 4.1 rushing yards per game, and he's already lost four fumbles in just nine games.
This isn't to say that Taylor won't live up to his big payday. He's already done more than enough for this organization, and it was only right that the team gave him the contract he was due for before this turned into another saga.
However, plans change all the time. The Colts clearly didn't expect to be 2-7 at this point in the season, but now that their best players and general manager are gone, they should've pivoted to a different approach.
What will they do now? Daniel Jones doesn't look like a starter for a winning team, and whoever they hire to be the next head coach might have an entirely different philosophy. Of course, Taylor will most definitely be a big part of the plans and the pitch, but there are just too many ifs and buts to consider here.
No one wants to blow up a roster, but waiting too long only makes things worse. Taylor's trade value will never be higher than it is now, and will he really be content with playing for a struggling team for much longer? He wants to be here now, but we've seen stars change their minds once their prime starts to fade and their Super Bowl window shuts down.
Hopefully, this will be just a blip on the radar, and whoever takes the reins of the team can turn things around with their current assets and cap space. History isn't necessarily on the Colts' side, though, and they might come to regret this decision soon.
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