Source: Jonathan Taylor's asking price is a non-starter for the Colts and the NFL

Following Jonathan Taylor's formal trade request being made public, I spoke with a team source about the situation, and they were able to share more insight on what exactly is going on between the Indianapolis Colts and their star running back. The situation has obviously escalated to new heights and there are plenty of layers […]

Destin Adams — NFL News Writer

Jul 30, 2023 2:33 PM EDT

Jul 28, 2023; Westfield, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) makes his way around the field during an indoor practice at Grand Park Sports Campus.

The situation has obviously escalated to new heights and there are plenty of layers to peel back as we wait and see where things go from here. Until then, we can break down the current constructs.

Taylor's search for a new agent

This offseason, while approaching the final season of his rookie contract, Jonathan Taylor decided to look for different representation after failing to gain traction on an extension with the Colts. While going through the process, I've been told that the final decision was between Malki Kawa with First-Round MGMT and NFL mega-agent Drew Rosenhaus. While Rosenhaus's reputation speaks for itself, Taylor would land with Kawa and First-Round MGMT following negotiations with both. Kawa has multiple clients in the MMA world but is a bit newer to the NFL side of being an agent. He does represent Taylor's Colts teammate, Shaquille Leonard, who he recently helped negotiate an at-the-time market setting deal.

Taylor's asking price

Since signing with Kawa, Taylor and his new representation's priority has been making it known to the Colts they believe he has earned an extension. Which Colts' owner Jim Irsay has made it known that the team hasn't and isn't planning on extending the RB before the season. While also making a point to share his desire for Taylor to be a big part of the team this upcoming season.

During the team's training camp practice Saturday, Irsay invited Taylor onto his private bus to speak with the disgruntled RB following the drama that occurred between Irsay and Kawa online in the previous days.

I doubt it ??‍♂️ https://t.co/LGGmD1hmmV
— malki kawa (@malkikawa) July 27, 2023

Following practice, it was made public that Taylor formally requested a trade from the Colts. A request on which Irsay made his thoughts known when he personally texted Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.

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!”
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) July 30, 2023

A team source told A to Z Sports Saturday evening that when it comes to Taylor's asking price, "being in the ballpark of the top paid back in the league is of high priority."

For comparison, here are some recent RB contracts of note:

2020 Christian McCaffrey 4 years roughly 64 million (Avg 16 mil a year)
2020 Alvin Kamara: 5 years 75 million (Avg 15 mil a year)
2023 Saquon Barkley: 1 year, 11 million

They went on to share, "The issue is the top of the market when someone like McCaffrey signed his deal isn't the top of the market now. The market has fallen off a cliff." They would go into even more detail by saying, "There's so much pressure being placed on him (Jonathan Taylor) to reset the RB market after guys like Jacobs and Barkley were unsuccessful in doing so this offseason." And finally, when I asked if this type of demand is even possible, they said, "The number he and his team want won't be entertained by anyone in the league, including the Colts."

Spoke to a source on the Jonathan Taylor contract extension front and was told:

"The number he and his team want won't be entertained by anyone in the league including the Colts"

The RB market is truly at an all time low across the NFL. pic.twitter.com/g68XqhhH1b
— Destin Adams (@TheDestinAdams) July 30, 2023

Will Taylor continue to hold in?

Since reporting for training camp Mike Chappell of Fox59/CBS4 Sports has reported that Taylor failed his physical with the team, which landed him on the active PUP list.

A correction. Colts RB Jonathan Taylor didn’t pass pre-camp physical and then placed on PUP because he wasn’t ready to practice. He was placed on PUP after failing physical.
Just getting it straight.

Carry on.
— Mike Chappell (@mchappell51) July 30, 2023

While on the PUP list, Taylor is not able to practice with the team and, in turn, is not eligible to be listed on the team's active depth chart. This led some online to believe the team removed him due to his trade request being made public Saturday. I wanted to take the time to make it known that this is not an accurate depiction of the situation.

As said above, Irsay has made it clear that the team does not intend to accommodate Taylor's trade request. Therefore, once he is able to pass a physical, he will have an obligation to be present and participate in training camp activities. Failure to do so would result in fines of up to $40,000 a day and would continue to push Taylor's opportunity for unrestricted free agency even further down the road. For that reason, I believe Taylor, if not traded, will play out this year with the Colts then will have to wait for the team's decision on whether to franchise tag the RB which would prevent Taylor from hitting the open market next offseason.