The Indianapolis Colts are 2-4 and second in the AFC South, and Jacob Infante thinks their best trade chip may be their running back. Infante, an NFL analyst for Pro Football Network, argued on PFN’s YouTube channel that Jonathan Taylor could be moved before the trade deadline if Indianapolis commits to a rebuild. He also named three teams he thinks could be buyers.
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Infante built the idea around a front office in flux, saying the Colts just fired general manager Chris Ballard, and around what Taylor would be worth to a contender. “And I say the chopping block, not to say that he’s been bad. I mean, if anything, it’s far from it. It’s the fact that he’s one of the most valuable assets right now,” he said.
Taylor has 492 rushing yards so far this season, sixth in the NFL, and seven rushing touchdowns, tied for second. His 4.0 yards per carry is more ordinary, tied for 21st among 43 qualified rushers.
Infante called his price a guess, but he set the floor high. “I feel like you could get at least a second-round pick, if not even more,” he said. He added that a strong enough contender might go further: “You could argue that you could get a late first-round pick for Jonathan Taylor, which would be absolutely massive if the Colts really want to accelerate their rebuild.”
Infante also said Taylor signed an extension right before the 2026 season, and that trading him would free up around $11 million in 2027 cap space while saving little this year. Even so, he cared more about the return than the money. “I mean this Colts team isn’t necessarily ready to compete right now, so it’s more about the draft capital really that you’d be getting in a deal,” he said.
Video via Pro Football Network.
Bengals, Giants and Seahawks as Possible Fits
Cincinnati was Infante’s first suggestion, because of how its backfield has looked. In the Bengals’ 31-24 win at Miami in Week 5, Samaje Perine ran 14 times for 68 yards, while Chase Brown had 13 carries for 39 yards and lost a fumble. Infante put that near-even split in Week 6, but the Bengals had a bye that week.
“Chase Brown hasn’t been super-efficient, he’s in the last year of his contract, they could look for a more long-term answer at running back, and Jonathan Taylor could be that guy for the Bengals offense,” Infante said.
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The Giants interest Infante as a buyer with something to play for. New York is 3-2-1 and leads the NFC East, and he sees the rest of the division as beatable, pointing to the Eagles’ slide, the Cowboys’ flawed defense and the Commanders’ flawed roster. He said “it’s looking like the Giants, even with Jaxson Dart out, are still the favorites to win that division.”
Infante said the Giants have scaled back Cam Skattebo’s role and released Najee Harris, which leaves a backfield that is “a mess right now.” He connected the fit to John Harbaugh, pointing to the coach’s history with Derrick Henry and Ray Rice in Baltimore, and said Harbaugh “could look to try and replicate something similar to that with Jonathan Taylor in New York.”
Seattle was the option Infante called “a little bit of a long shot.” He said Zach Charbonnet has not returned from injury and that Jadarian Price, a first-round pick this year, has also missed a lot of time. Infante added that Charbonnet is in the final year of his rookie deal without an extension, and “there’s a possibility that coming out of the injury, he doesn’t look all that great, and the Seahawks choose not to extend him.”
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Kenneth Walker III, now with the Kansas City Chiefs, rounds out Infante’s case. He argued that watching Walker in Kansas City could push Seattle toward a big move at the position, and he imagined the pitch this way: “All right, we got this wrong, but hear me out. Let’s go with JT instead of Kenneth Walker.” He said Taylor could “really take off a lot of pressure from Sam Darnold’s shoulders” and win back some goodwill from fans still upset about how Walker’s departure was handled.
Infante’s case assumes Indianapolis stays out of contention. The Colts play at Minnesota on Oct. 25 and at Jacksonville on Nov. 1, and those two games will go a long way toward deciding whether they sell.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.