Jonathan Taylor Wants to Be a Colt for Life. The Colts Aren’t Sure They Want That Yet.
Jonathan Taylor wants to retire a Colt. The All-Pro running back has been very public about it. “I want to be a Colt for life,” he told NFL Network this offseason.
The problem is that Indianapolis is not exactly racing to get a deal done.
Taylor is entering the final year of his contract. He is making a base salary of $11.98 million in 2026. He coming off a 1,585-yard season in which he scored 18 touchdowns on 4.9 yards per carry. He was first-team All-Pro. By any reasonable measure, he was a top-three running back in the league last year.
The Colts’ position appears to be wait-and-see. Head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard are both on the hot seat. Owner Jim Irsay’s death and the resulting front-office uncertainty has frozen most extension talks in Indianapolis. Taylor is not the only veteran left waiting for a deal.
The market complicates things. Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey set the top of the running back market at roughly $20 million per year. Kenneth Walker III, Breece Hall, and De’Von Achane have all signed deals that average more than Taylor’s current $14 million per year. Taylor’s camp is going to ask for $19 million plus, and they have the production to back it up.
The Colts have a different math problem. Anthony Richardson’s contract is small for now but will balloon if he is the long-term answer at quarterback. Quenton Nelson is up for an extension. DeForest Buckner needs a new deal. The cap space is real but not unlimited.
If Indianapolis lets Taylor play out his contract and walk, they have effectively given up on the current core. If they extend him for $19 million a year, they are committing $40 million annually to running back and offensive line. That makes the rest of the roster math harder.
The middle ground is a three-year deal worth about $50 million with $30 million guaranteed. Taylor’s camp probably wants more guarantees. The Colts probably want fewer dollars. The number that gets a deal done is somewhere in between.
For Taylor, the worst-case scenario is a franchise tag in 2027. That would pay him roughly $13.5 million for one more year and give the team another shot at long-term certainty. It is also the kind of move that fans tend to resent, especially when applied to a star player who has publicly expressed loyalty.
The smart play for Indianapolis is to extend him now, take the cap hit, and lock in their best offensive player through age 30. Running backs decline, sure. They decline less when they are 6-foot, 230 pounds with a 4.4 40 and a career YPC over 4.7. Taylor is one of those guys.
Steichen needs Taylor on the field next season. The Colts’ offense fell apart in the playoff push last year every time Taylor was nicked up. A motivated, healthy Taylor is the difference between a 9-8 team and a 12-5 team in the AFC South.
This is a deal that gets done. The question is whether it gets done before training camp or whether Taylor sits out the start of camp to make a point. Both sides should want to avoid the second option.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
