It’s time for the Indianapolis Colts to extend star RB Jonathan Taylor. Will Taylor’s contract extension with Indy reset the running back market?
After a dominant start to his career, it’s time for Jonathan Taylor to get paid. Throughout his first three seasons, Taylor has established himself as one of the best running backs and overall players in the NFL during his time with the Indianapolis Colts. He very well may just be the best running back in the league, and he’s about to get paid like it.
As Taylor prepares for the final season of his rookie contract, the only question is how much will Taylor be getting paid? Some people might want to question if the Colts are actually willing to pay a running back, but Chris Ballard has already explained that running backs who are special deserved to be paid.
So again, the only question is how much? Will Taylor reset the running back market, will he take a team-friendly deal, or will the contract be somewhere in between? Alex Kay of Bleacher Report tried to predict the answer to this question in a recent piece looking at players that could potentially reset the market for their respective positions.
Kay doesn’t think that Taylor will reset the market, but the prediction is that Taylor will come really close to surpassing Christian McCaffrey’s record deal. Kay is predicting a four-year deal worth $60 million.
How much will Colts pay Jonathan Taylor?
McCaffrey leads all running backs, making $16 million annually. The four-year deal worth $60 million would put Taylor at $15 million annually. That would tie him for second-most amongst running backs with Alvin Kamara, who’s currently playing out a five-year contract worth $75 million.
While Taylor certainly has a claim to be the best running back in all of football, it’s hard to imagine him getting the same annual money as Kamara or McCaffrey. As detailed in Jonathan Taylor’s contract projection, he doesn’t have the same receiving production as those two running backs, and that could hurt him in negotiations.
Ultimately, negotiations are what it all comes down to. What number is Taylor and his agent hoping for? What are the Colts willing to pay Taylor? It’s hard to predict what exactly each side is looking to get out of a contact extension; only time will tell.
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