Colts Face Trade Calls for Jonathan Taylor, Daniel Jones Before Deadline
The Indianapolis Colts were expected to hear from teams about running back Jonathan Taylor and quarterback Daniel Jones in the hours before the NFL trade deadline. The club had received an offer of a second-round pick plus additional compensation for Taylor, but no deal was reported as close.
Indianapolis Colts officials were expected to field calls about Jonathan Taylor and Daniel Jones before the NFL trade deadline at 4 p.m. ET Tuesday, with Taylor drawing an offer that included a second-round draft pick and additional compensation.
The Colts had not indicated that a deal for Taylor was close. The deadline left little time for teams to pursue the running back or Jones, a veteran quarterback the club had reportedly told it would not trade.
ESPN analyst Adam Schefter said teams were expected to contact Indianapolis about both players throughout Tuesday. He described the Colts as “rather standoffish” in discussions and said the team might have been “waiting for this day” to maximize a return.
Schefter said the Minnesota Vikings may have greater urgency to find help at quarterback after Carson Wentz struggled in a 23-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday night.
Wentz completed 8 of 25 passes for 81 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Kyler Murray, who missed the game with a hamstring injury, ranked 27th among 31 qualified starters in QBR this season.
Jones had made nine starts for Indianapolis, throwing 10 interceptions and six touchdowns. He previously played in Minnesota’s offense at the end of the 2024 season.
Schefter and Ian Rapoport reported that Indianapolis had an offer of a second-round pick plus additional compensation for Taylor. The Colts had been seeking at least a second-round pick, while the Vikings, New York Giants and Denver Broncos were frequently linked to the running back.
A separate report said the Giants had offered a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick for Taylor, but head coach John Harbaugh said the offer had been withdrawn.
The financial terms differ between the two Colts players. Jones has $10.51 million in guaranteed money for next season, which does not take effect until the fifth day of the 2027 league year.
Taylor signed a two-year, $44 million extension in August. His salary-cap charges exceed $20 million in both 2027 and 2028, making him the only running back with a cap figure of at least $20 million in each of those years.
Indianapolis entered the deadline at 2-7 after five consecutive losses and had lost 14 of 16 games dating back to last season. The team had 10 picks in the upcoming draft, but no first-round selection after trading it to the New York Jets in the Sauce Gardner deal last year.
