Comments from former Colts show exactly why the team should pay Jonathan Taylor

With the Indianapolis Colts set to play their first preseason game on Saturday, star running back Jonathan Taylor is currently at a standstill with the team. Entering his fourth season in the league, and the final year of his rookie contract, Taylor asked the team for a new contract but he was denied. He then asked the team for a trade, but the Colts aren’t planning to honor that request either. While everyone waits to see how things will play out, Taylor is spending camp on the PUP list.

With the situation being one of the biggest training camp stories for the NFL, it’s a conversation all throughout the league. Everyone is being asked their thoughts on the situation, especially people with a connection to Taylor and the Colts. Recently, two of Taylor’s former teammates shared their thoughts on the whole ordeal.

One of those former teammates was former quarterback Matt Ryan, who spent last season in Indianapolis. Matt Ryan, in a recent appearance on The Adam Schefter Podcast, was asked his thoughts on the entire situation. Ryan said his guess would be that Taylor ends up playing this year and next year would be decision time. He went on to speak about Taylor as a person and teammate, saying, “he’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, one of the best teammates, unselfish, hard worker, all of those things.”

That sentiment was also recently expressed by wide receiver Parris Campbell. After spending the last four seasons with the Colts, Campbell is now with the New York Giants, however, that didn’t stop him from speaking on Taylor. Campbell took time to defend Taylor’s name, expressing that the Jonathan Taylor that he knows as a person and a teammate is not the person he’s being made out to be in the media recently.

"I know Jonathan Taylor. I know the type of teammate he is. I know the type of guy he is. So whatever comes out that’s trying to bash his character or anything like that, I know that it’s not true, man. Because no matter what he’s got going on between him and the organization, I know the type of teammate he’s being. Things get said in the media, and they want to bash players in certain situations like that. I read some of the stuff about him, and I’m like, ‘That’s not who this guy is at all.’ I hope for the best for Jonathan."

- Parris Campbell

Matt Ryan and Parris Campbell speak about the teammate Jonathan Taylor is

These statements align with the reputation that Taylor has built throughout the first three years of his career. By all accounts, he’s been the model player on and off the field. The comments from Ryan and Campbell are just further proof that the Colts should pay Jonathan Taylor.

As a running back, he’s exceptional on the field, he’s obviously loved as a teammate, and everyone has only ever had great things to say about him. At just 24 years old, Taylor is the kind of player that you build an offense and franchise around. The Colts need to make things right and make sure that Taylor is in Indianapolis for many more years.

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