AUGUST 11: Taylor’s 2027 salary ($15MM) will vest next February, as detailed by Over the Cap. His new deal also contains a $7.5MM roster bonus which is due on the fifth day of the 2028 league year. This is a two-year commitment on the part of the Colts as a result, with the potential for each of the next three years to be lucrative in Taylor’s case.
AUGUST 6: Not long after Bijan Robinson‘s record-breaking extension agreement, another running back has lined up a raise. Jonathan Taylor is no longer a pending free agent.
Taylor and the Colts agreed to a two-year extension on Thursday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter report. This new deal has a base value of $44MM and can top out at $47MM. Of that, $39MM is guaranteed; $23MM is locked in at signing, per The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson. Today’s news means Taylor will remain under team control through the 2028 season.
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This pact includes a $15MM signing bonus, Rapoport adds. Taylor was already owed $13MM for the coming campaign, but any new Indianapolis accord was always going to include a raise. That became especially true earlier this week when the Falcons handed Robinson a deal which expectedly reset the running back market. Taylor has taken the short-term route once again (having inked a three-year extension in 2023), and he has secured a hefty total with respect to guaranteed compensation along the way.
The process leading up to that previous deal was not always a smooth one, but in the end the Colts benefitted from keeping Taylor in the fold. The former rushing champion has remained a workhorse back since inking his first extension, and he once again led the NFL in carries (323) and rushing touchdowns (18) in 2025. Last season, Taylor earned a Pro Bowl nod for the second year in a row and third time in his career.
The 27-year-old will increasingly face concerns related to his workload as he plays out this extension. That said, Taylor has largely been durable throughout his career, playing at least 10 games each year and handling a full 17 on two occasions (including 2025). He will no doubt be counted on to remain the focal point of the Colts’ offense for the foreseeable future given their lack of proven depth at the running back position (although a more even distribution of carries is a team goal).
A strong showing on Taylor’s part helped power the Colts to a record of 8-2 entering the bye last season. Injuries to a number of key players – including quarterback Daniel Jones – down the stretch led to a collapse, though, and a seven-game losing streak to close out the campaign resulted in Indianapolis falling short of a playoff berth. Jones received the transition tag before signing a two-year Colts deal of his own this spring. Receiver Alec Pierce, meanwhile, remained in place on a four-year, $114MM pact. Those two will be tasked with guiding the team’s passing game while Taylor continues to operate as a mainstay on the ground.
In June, the Wisconsin product stated his intention of remaining with the Colts for his entire career. One month later, Taylor confirmed he and the team were discussing an extension. It remains to be seen if general manager Chris Ballard will be retained beyond 2026, but in any event Taylor will be joined by the likes of Jones and Pierce for at least the short-term future. It will be interesting to see if any other lucrative Colts extensions are finalized prior to Week 1.
Left guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner are also entering the final season of their respective deals as things stand. Nelson in particular is on Indianapolis’ radar with respect to a second extension, and attention could increasingly shift to his case now that Taylor’s deal has been taken care of.
