In sports, all things can come true. A seemingly bad team can win a championship, and trades, like the one recently involving future NBA Hall of Famer Giannis Antetokounmpo, can occur, too. If something like the last bit happens with the Indianapolis Colts, fans shouldn't be shocked.
Indy has one superstar that could make waves in NFL circles if he is dealt, and that player is running back Jonathan Taylor. Would general manager Chris Ballard trade his star RB? The move seems unlikely, of course, but for many years, Milwaukee Bucks fans probably thought Giannis wouldn't be traded to a team like the Miami Heat. And yet, he has.
Dealing Taylor might also become more of a possibility depending on how the coming season begins for the Colts. The team must make the playoffs for the first time since 2020this year, or Ballard and several other key personnel with the team could be out of their current job.
Indianapolis Colts could create a Giannis-type situation with Jonathan Taylor
That includes Taylor, but not because he has been or will be bad, of course. He's been elite, and he is still only 27 years old. The running back is also entering the final year of his contract, and no matter how great Taylor has been, it hasn't meant his team has made the playoffs.
In his career with Indianapolis, Taylor has seen the postseason just once, and that was in his rookie season after being chosen in the second round of the 2020 draft. Since his first season, he's led the league in touchdowns twice and had three seasons of at least 1,431 rushing yards. The result? He's made three Pro Bowls, but watched as other teams vie for the Super Bowl in the playoffs.
In other words, while Jonathan Taylor has helped make the Indianapolis Colts better, the team hasn't been good enough to be in the playoffs. Indy needs a better roster overall, and that might make the best player on the team expendable.
If the Colts get off to a horrid start this season, at the trade deadline, teams could be calling Ballard quite a bit to check on Taylor's services. Unless the team places the franchise tag on him next offseason, which could definitely happen, then Taylor could leave Indianapolis on his own, hoping to find a team that can win a title.
Indianapolis could instead trade Taylor, hoping to get a second-rounder for such a great player. A first-rounder would be great, of course, but the running back position, even as elite as Taylor has been, is diminished in the current NFL climate. A second-round choice and a later-round pick might be the best Indy could do.
Would that cause Giannis-like repercussions in the league? Maybe not, but it would for the Colts. But the move might help make the team better long into the future.
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