Colts owner Jim Irsay delivers 13-word verdict on Jonathan Taylor's future after RB's trade request
In 2022, Jonathan Taylor severely regressed as multiple injuries bothered him, and the Indianapolis Colts fell to the dregs of the American Football Conference, only ahead of the Houston Texans. Now, as he enters the final year of his rookie deal, he wants out.
On Saturday, insider Ian Rapoport reported the running back had made his request after meeting team owner Jim Irsay.
Sources: #Colts star RB Jonathan Taylor has formally requested a trade after meeting with owner Jim Irsay. pic.twitter.com/BH7dhZAzUD
But now Irsay is adamant the latter is not happening. Texting veteran NFL reporter Albert Breer, he said:
“We’re not trading Jonathan… end of discussion. Not now and not in October!”
Text from @Colts owner @JimIrsay on Jonathan Taylor’s trade request (as reported by @RapSheet): “We’re not trading Jonathan… end of discussion. Not now and not in October!”
A brief overview of Jonathan Taylor's contract situation
Jonathan Taylor first mentioned his contract situation on April, during the offseason. He told the Indianapolis Star that he had no problem playing without a new contract:
“It wouldn’t be a distraction to me. I’m under contract here for four years, I put the pen to the paper, so that’s where I’m at right now. I have an obligation to them, and an obligation to me, but things will happen naturally.”
Two months later, he changed his tone somewhat, stating that while he wanted to retire as a Colt, he also deserved a lucrative deal:
“My goal, the first season after I got drafted, I’m like ‘I want to retire a Colt.’ Hopefully the organization sees that the same, because I do.
"Hopefully we can explain the value, not that it needs explanation. But we just want to be here, like I said, to help the team, help uplift the community. We’ll see where things go. It’s kind of on them right now."
But at some point, talks broke down. Very recently, his agent Malki Kawa responded to Ian Rapoport's hopes that the relationship between player and team could still be resolved:
"I doubt it"
I doubt it 🤷🏻♂️ twitter.com/rapsheet/statu…
Rapoport's tweet had been in response to Jim Irsay decrying the running back situation as "inappropriate":
"We have negotiated a CBA,that took years of effort and hard work and compromise in good faith by both sides..to say now that a specific Player category wants another negotiation after the fact,is inappropriate. Some Agents are selling ‘bad faith’.."
NFL Running Back situation- We have negotiated a CBA,that took years of effort and hard work and compromise in good faith by both sides..to say now that a specific Player category wants another negotiation after the fact,is inappropriate. Some Agents are selling ‘bad faith’..
To whick Kawa responded:
"Bad faith is not paying your top offensive player."
Bad faith is not paying your top offensive player twitter.com/jimirsay/statu…
Unlike his peers, Taylor has not held out, even if some feel that he should have. However, he may have more than made up for it by requesting his departure from the Colts instead.