Will he or Will he not play? | Colts Jonathan Taylor
As you may recall Jonathan Taylor, star Running back for the Indianapolis Colts requested a trade after a Saturday
night meeting on the bus with Colts owner Jim Irsay. This was nearly two weeks ago that the NFL got worldwind of the
now strained relationship between the two. It became evident of this dysfunction once Irsay responded back to the
media stating: "We're not trading Jonathan ... end of discussion. Not now and not in October!"
Now we know the reports of running backs feeling they are undervalued in terms of pay, and many could think
that Taylor is having this same sentiment. Especially, following the comments made on social media by Irsay stating
that the "NFL running back situation -- We have negotiated a CBA, that took years of effort and hard
work and compromise in good faith by both sides. To say now that a specific player category
wants another negotiation after the fact, is inappropriate. Some agents are selling 'bad faith.'"
Taylor is in his last year of his rookie contract and initially wanted a new deal for more money
than the $4.3 million salary he’s due for this season. This swiftly turned into wanting a change of
team scenery after the clear divide between him and Irsay. Although the Colts have made it clear
they are not trading Taylor, it leads to the question on if they should.
In 2021 Taylor was a super star with 3,841 rushing yards, 33 touchdowns and an average of 5.1
yards per carry for his career. He's also collected 104 receptions for another 802 yards and three
scores in the passing game. Although he suffered a season ending ankle injury in Week 15 along
with deflated stats last season, the All- Pro running back has still shown top ability to be the star
guy that the team needs. His championship performance is definitely going to be needed to assist
new Quarterback Anthony Richardson this season. Making sense as to why the Colts may not
want to trade him after all- they need him, even if the comments made seem to value otherwise.
Ironically, Taylor is out of training camp practice getting rehabbed on his ankle as this continues
to unfold. There are several ways this trade request could go - with the worst option being Taylor
having to finish his rookie contract and go into free agency at the end of the year. All in all
though, the Colts as an organization have a long way to go to mend the relationship with the
2021 rushing champion.
Stay tuned for more HBCU content and experiences.
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