Trade rumors continue to swirl around Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor and the latest one links the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings as potential trade suitors.
Rumors have ramped up in recent days after the Colts decided to fire general manager Chris Ballard following a 2-4 start. Many believe that move signals an incoming fire sale at the deadline.
According to The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones, two teams believed to be potential suitors for the Colts running back are the Giants and Vikings.
“Sources believe the New York Giants and Vikings could be potential suitors for Taylor if he’s available for trade,” Jones wrote.
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However, Jones also notes that the Colts are not interested in trading Taylor yet, but their desire to do so will gain steam if the losing continues.
“The Indianapolis Colts are not entertaining discussions of a potential Jonathan Taylor trade. At least not yet,” Jones said. “After speaking with sources in Indy and around the league, my understanding is that the team needs to see what the landscape is like in a few weeks before deciding on their star running back.”
“Indy ownership loves him,” an unnamed team executive said to Jones. “They’d have to drop more games to move him.”
Why Colts could trade Jonathan Taylor
It’s very clear the Colts aren’t going anywhere this season.
The Colts have two tough games on their schedule over the next two weeks, with contests against the aforementioned Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars on tap.
Indy will have one more game after that against the Dallas Cowboys before the Nov. 10 trade deadline, so the Colts could very well be sitting at 2-7 or 3-6 going into the deadline.
MORE: NFL running back power rankings entering Week 7
That should be enough for Indianapolis to wave the white flag, and if the team is indeed on the verge of a rebuild or retool, it makes sense to move Taylor while his value is still high in order to garner draft capital to assist in remaking the roster in the years to come.
Why Vikings, Giants need Jonathan Taylor
Minnesota is currently sporting Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason, the latter of whom is expected to make his return from injury this week.
While they are solid backs, neither one is even close to the talent Taylor is, as the Colts back is one of the very best in the NFL.
The Vikings enter Week 7 with a 5-0 record, but their offense is lacking, with the unit ranking 22nd in points and 12th in rushing yards per game. Safe to say, the Vikings could use a jolt, something Taylor can provide.
In New York, they have an even worse situation.
MORE: NFC East point differentials perfectly tell story of NFL season
Cam Skattebo has been very disappointing this season, and he recently put himself in the dog house because of fumbling issues, which led to him seeing zero carries in Week 6.
The Giants replaced him with Najee Harris, but the veteran back has since been released after he was critical of how New York deployed its backs last week. Tyrone Tracy is also on the roster, but he’s nothing more than a complementary back.
New York isn’t going to compete for anything big this season, but Big Blue does have a shot to win the division given how awful every other team in it has been.
But acquiring Taylor won’t just help the Giants this season, as he’s under contract for the next two years, which means he can be a huge help to Jaxson Dart once he returns from injury in 2027.
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