Colts Fire Sale Watch: Jonathan Taylor, DeForest Buckner Headline Trade Candidates After Third Straight Loss

The Indianapolis Colts lost 16-10 at Minnesota on Sunday, their third straight loss, and fell to 2-5. A week after owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon fired general manager Chris Ballard, the result pushes the franchise closer to selling before the…

The Colts led 10-6 at halftime and didn't score again. Daniel Jones went 13 of 22 for 108 yards and threw an interception to Harrison Smith on the final drive. Spencer Shrader missed field goals from 56 and 48 yards in the second half.

Hours before kickoff, ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that teams have been studying the roster with an eye on Jonathan Taylor, Quenton Nelson, DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart.

Competitive, but losing

The loss looked a lot like the Colts' season. The defense held Kyler Murray's offense to one touchdown, Adetomiwa Adebawore had two sacks, and Taylor broke a 38-yard touchdown run. The offense still finished with 10 points, and Indianapolis went into Sunday with an NFL-worst minus-8 turnover margin.

According to Schefter and Rapoport, the Colts planned to try to win three straight games, at Minnesota, at Jacksonville and at home against Dallas, before deciding whether to sell. The first of those games is now a loss. The Colts haven't made the playoffs in five straight seasons.

"I'm frustrated," Buckner said after the game, via ESPN's Stephen Holder. Asked where the Colts go from here, he told The Athletic's James Boyd: "Couldn't tell you."

The front office and the draft-pick problem

Ballard was fired Oct. 19, the day after a 26-20 home loss to the Titans, who hadn't won a game yet. He finished 72-82-1 in his tenure. Assistant GM Ed Dodds is running the personnel department for the rest of the season, and coach Shane Steichen reports to ownership. The team says it will run a full search for a permanent GM. Peyton Manning isn't expected to be a candidate.

Irsay-Gordon said the firing "does not change our goals for the season." But the roster Dodds inherits has little draft capital. Ballard sent the Colts' 2026 and 2027 first-round picks, plus receiver Adonai Mitchell, to the Jets for cornerback Sauce Gardner. That means Indianapolis has no first-round pick in a 2027 draft that's widely viewed as a strong class. Several of its best veterans are also on expiring contracts, so trading them is one of the few ways to rebuild that capital quickly.

Whatever Dodds does by Nov. 10 will shape the roster the next GM takes over.

Jonathan Taylor, RB

Contract: Taylor, 27, signed a two-year, $44 million extension in the offseason that included a $15 million signing bonus. He's under contract through 2028. A trade would leave the Colts with a $10 million dead-money charge in 2027. His next team would owe him $16.02 million in 2027 and $17.98 million in 2028.

Why he could move: He's the Colts' most valuable trade asset because of his age, and because he's under contract past this season. Schefter and Rapoport reported that Irsay-Gordon sees Taylor as a likely part of the rebuild, so trading him would take premium draft compensation.

Teams attached:

Reported: the Seahawks, Broncos, Giants and Vikings have considered or are expected to consider a trade, according to NFL Insiders.

His wife, Ayanna Taylor, posted a viral video pointing to the GM firing and the missing first-round pick as reasons he could be traded. Taylor said after Sunday's game that he has to "stay focused."

DeForest Buckner, DT

Contract: Buckner, 32, is in the final year of a two-year, $46 million extension. He has already been paid a $10 million roster bonus and is owed the rest of his $13 million base salary this season. He's scheduled to be a free agent in 2027.

Why he could move: Buckner is almost certain to leave after the season, so any decision to sell would almost certainly include him. He had four sacks through six games.

Teams attached:

Reported: the 49ers, who drafted him in 2016 and traded him to Indianapolis in 2020, could make a run at him. (More: 49ers could make a run at Buckner.)

Quenton Nelson, G

Contract: Nelson, 30, is in the final season of a four-year, $80 million extension. He has said he's interested in a long-term deal, but Ballard never got one done.

Why he could move: NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Saturday that the Colts have received strong trade interest in Nelson and Buckner, and that no one on the roster is expected to be off-limits if they sell. If Nelson leaves in free agency, any compensatory pick wouldn't come until 2028. A trade could bring back a 2027 pick.

Teams attached: No specific teams have been reported, but there are plenty of teams out there that need offensive line help right now, and a lot of the NFL would be interested in a high-caliber guard beyond this season and might want to skip the open market.

Grover Stewart, DT

Contract: Stewart is in the final year of a three-year, $39 million deal and is owed about $8.2 million in cash for the rest of the season.

Why he could move: He's an expiring veteran run-stuffer who would be cheap to acquire, and Schefter and Rapoport named him among the Colts drawing interest.

Teams attached:

Speculative: No team has been reported as pursuing him but teams that could be interested are the 49ers, Panthers among others who are willing to part with a late-round pick.

Keenan Allen, WR

Pro Football Rumors lists Allen among the contract-year veterans who could be traded if the Colts sell. No teams have been linked to him.

The Colts play at Jacksonville next week and host Dallas the week after. The trade deadline is Nov. 10.