INDIANAPOLIS — When Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor switched agencies back in January, there was a feeling contract negotiations between the team and player could eventually turn sour.
It took over half a year, but Taylor's recent trade request got the ball rolling, and what followed was a nasty sequence of events which has fractured the relationship on both sides.
First there were accusations made by Taylor that the team is making up a back injury in order to put him on the non-football injury list, which would make it more difficult for him to hold out.
Then there were odd comments by Colts owner Jim Irsay, where he admitted no negotiations have taken place with Taylor and went to the media to say, "If I die tonight and Jonathan Taylor is out of the league, no one's gonna miss us," per The Athletic. "The league goes on. We know that. The National Football (League) rolls on. It doesn't matter who comes and who goes, and it's a privilege to be a part of it."
Locked on NFL host Kevin Oestreicher spoke with Locked on Colts host Zach Hicks about this ongoing saga in Indianapolis and the growing trend of running backs demanding trades.
"It's not an uncommon thing to see this, but it is uncommon to have your owner making crazy comments like he has," Hicks said. "It's uncommon to see the agent making crazy comments. It's really just coming off a lot uglier than what it probably is."
Taylor has been a monster since entering the league in 2020. He was a Pro Bowler and first team All-Pro in 2021 when he led the league with 332 rushing attempts, 1,811 rushing yards, and 18 rushing touchdowns.
Injuries limited him to 11 games in 2022 but he still rushed for 861 yards and has proven himself one of, if not the best, running back in the game right now.
Having Taylor in the mix with new quarterback Anthony Richardson would be extremely valuable for the Colts, and the need to keep JT around was magnified with the recent injury to fellow running back Zack Moss, who broke a bone in his arm and is expected to be out for six weeks.
Taylor's situation is far from resolved, and this will remain one of the biggest news stories for the Colts and across the NFL during preseason.