Colts' Jonathan Taylor Says He Hasn't Requested a Trade: 'Always Proud to Wear the Horseshoe'
Two days after Indianapolis traded Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner, its star running back pushed back on the idea of a rebuild but admitted his future isn't in his hands
Jonathan Taylor hasn't asked the Colts to trade him, and he said Thursday he'd like to stay put, even as Indianapolis tears down its veteran core around him.
Taylor told reporters he hasn't heard anything about his status and spoke this week with principal owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon, though he didn't share what was discussed. He also didn't accept the premise that the 2-5 Colts are rebuilding.
"You think we're rebuilding? For me, being a competitor ... no one goes out there to wave the white flag. We're going out there to compete. We're going out there to get a W."
— Jonathan Taylor
The rest of the week says otherwise. On Tuesday the Colts sent Quenton Nelson to Seattle for a third-round pick and dealt DeForest Buckner to San Francisco for a fourth, eight days after firing general manager Chris Ballard. Taylor called the two linemen "the gold standard of the NFL" and said he wished he could have done more to win for them.
Taylor is the best asset Indianapolis has left, and several teams have reached out about his availability. He has 587 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns on 140 carries through seven games, the most rushing scores of any running back, after running for 1,585 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. He signed an extension in August that runs through 2028, so any deal would mean taking on that contract.
The Colts have lost three straight and visit the Jaguars on Sunday. The trade deadline is Nov. 10.