The relationship between Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts is quickly deteriorating. What started as a mild contract dispute has swiftly evolved into a trade request from one of the league’s best running backs. With team owner Jim Irsay making it clear that they have no plans to trade Taylor, the situation now seems to be about a battle of reports and leaked information.
On Sunday evening, it was reported that Jonathan Taylor arrived to training camp with a back injury that he sustained during the offseason, and that’s why he’s on the PUP list, not the ankle injury that everyone suspected. The reason that matters is that if Taylor did sustain an injury away from the team, the Colts would be able to place him on the NFI (non-football injury) list.
If Indianapolis did place Taylor on the NFI list, they wouldn’t have to pay him, and he also wouldn’t get a season of service, meaning his contract would toll to 2024, and he wouldn’t be a free agent until 2025. That’s not the case if Taylor remains on the PUP list.
However, Taylor took to Twitter on Sunday night to refute the report. He made it clear that he didn’t sustain a back injury and that he never reported any back pain to the team.
1.) Never had a back pain.
— Jonathan Taylor (@JayT23) July 31, 2023
2.) Never reported back pain.
Not sure who “sources” are, but find new ones 🤔
Jonathan Taylor denies reports of a back injury
Throughout this entire saga, Taylor hasn’t said much. So it’s interesting that this report has gotten him to speak publicly. Taylor won’t be able to control all of the narratives, but he can make it clear that he didn’t sustain another injury, at least not to his back.
Unfortunately for Taylor, and Colts fans that are hoping for this all to be resolved, there will likely be plenty of narratives thrown out throughout this process, some false and some true. That’s the nature of contract negotiations in professional sports. As both the franchise and player try to prove to the public which side is right, they usually leak information that may or may not be true.
That could be injury information, contract demands, and offers. It’ll be tough to distinguish what’s real and what’s not. Here’s what we do know. The Colts haven’t offered Taylor an extension and don’t plan to this offseason. Additionally, Taylor has requested a trade, while currently being on the PUP list, and Indy doesn’t plan to trade him. Those are the things we know that both sides have confirmed. We’ll just have to wait and see what other information emerges as both sides try to reach a solution.