The Indianapolis Colts tried trading running back Jonathan Taylor ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET roster cutdown deadline, but they weren’t pleased with the offers they got for the star running back. Now, a day later, the teams that Indy were negotiating with are being revealed, and Indianapolis’ requests are also being revealed.
The Miami Dolphins were already known as one of the teams, but there were reports of a second mystery team. On Tuesday, it was reported that the Green Bay Packers were the mystery team trying to acquire Taylor.
Green Bay Packers tried trading for Jonathan Taylor
This caught everyone by surprise, because no one thought Green Bay was in the market for a running back. The Packers already have Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, two quality running backs. Jones ran for 1,121 yards last season and Dillon added 770 rushing yards. That’s why Green Bay’s interest in Taylor is confusing, however, it was clear that the Packers weren’t desperate to add Jonathan Taylor.
Turns out, it was going to take desperation to get a trade down, because the Colts were asking for a lot. Stephen Holder and Barry Jackson reported that Indianapolis made wild requests, especially with the Dolphins, including asking for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
I might've been laughing when I mentioned the Colts throwing out Jaylen Waddle as a trade piece on air with @JMV1070 yesterday, but make no mistake: I was being very serious. https://t.co/XVNuEPGKnl
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) August 30, 2023
Colts had wild requests in Jonathan Taylor trade negotiations, including Jaylen Waddle
It was initially reported that Indianapolis wanted a first-round pick or a package of picks with equal value. That was already considered a steep asking price that was unlikely to be met. Now that it’s being reported that Indy made demands like asking for Waddle, one of the best receivers in football, it’s clear that the team had no intention to actually trade Jonathan Taylor.
To be fair, Jim Irsay did say that Indy didn’t want to trade Taylor, but the switch in stance that led to Indianapolis actually negotiating with other teams made it seem like they’d be willing to part with Taylor. However, these reports make the opposite seem true: the Colts weren’t really trading Taylor unless they found a team that they could absolutely fleece.
That didn’t happen, so now Indianapolis and Taylor are back to square one. Taylor is on the Colts’ PUP list, disgruntled, and Indy doesn’t really seem interested into meeting his demands. Eventually, something will have to give. Taylor won’t be able to stay on PUP forever, and Indy will have to make an honest decision about his future beyond this season.
If the Colts realize that they won’t be able to re-sign Taylor next offseason, and aren’t willing to franchise tag him, they absolutely need to re-engage in trade negotiations with other teams, but reasonably this time.