Jonathan Taylor joins Quenton Nelson as cornerstone Colts in contract years. Nothing yet has emerged on Nelson’s situation — one that provides him ammo to seek a guard-record extension — but Taylor provided an update Wednesday.
The seventh-year running back confirmed he and the Colts have engaged in discussions about what would be a second extension, ESPN.com’s Stephen Holder notes. Taylor signed a three-year, $42MM deal in 2023, providing a positive development at the RB position during a grim year. Lucrative deals for older vets have transpired since the Taylor pact, providing some optimism for the increasingly devalued job.
[RELATED: Colts Want To Lighten Taylor’s Workload]
Taylor, 27, said this offseason he wanted to sign an extension and be a “Colt for life.” The former rushing champion is due a nonguaranteed $11.98MM base salary. With no guarantees left on Taylor’s contract, we will likely see more updates emerge from Indianapolis.
Taylor’s situation is, however, a bit clearer than it was in 2023. That year, the disgruntled running back used a 2022 injury as part of a hold-in strategy, and a battle with then-owner Jim Irsay became a key part of Taylor beginning the season on the Colts’ reserve/PUP list. Team and player agreed to the extension shortly before his Week 5 debut.
As I covered in a recent Trade Rumors Front Office post, Taylor profiles as a more realistic 2027 franchise tag recipient than Nelson. Not many players over 30 are tagged — A.J. Green (Bengals) was the last one cuffed back in 2020 — and Nelson’s tag salary would come in much higher. Taylor’s would land at $18.67MM due to the 120% rule. Nelson’s tag number would be poised to exceed $30MM. Given the wear and tear on RBs, going year-to-year with Taylor makes more sense than failing to reach an extension with a safer bet at left guard.
While Taylor cannot match Nelson’s full attendance over the past four seasons, he stayed healthy last season. Taylor’s 17-game year produced 1,585 rushing yards and an NFL-leading 20 touchdowns. Taylor, who played 14 games in 2024 and still amassed 1,431 rushing yards, logged a league-high 323 carries last season. He is at 1,551 for his career.
Among active backs, the Wisconsin alum’s carry count ranks seventh — behind Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, Alvin Kamara, Christian McCaffrey and Aaron Jones. All those RBs were drafted in the 2010s, and each has made it to a third (or fourth) contract. Taylor’s past two seasons put him on course for his third deal, and past paydays for members of that high-volume crowd stand to help Taylor’s cause.
Barkley moved the RB AAV bar past $20MM, while McCaffrey checked in at $19MM per annum on his 2024 extension. Taylor’s camp will undoubtedly shoot for this range, though it would unsurprising if the effort fell a bit short. The cap has climbed by more than $20MM since Barkley’s deal was agreed to last year, however, and it is possible second-contract-seeking RBs Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs — each holding in at their respective training camps — will raise the position’s ceiling before Taylor strikes. Taylor, conversely, could also help the younger RBs by agreeing to a deal near the Barkley-McCaffrey tier before Week 1.
The Colts still have several weeks to navigate the Taylor situation, and they have some leverage via a 2027 franchise tag. Indianapolis holds exclusive negotiating rights with Taylor until March 2027.
