Eligible for extension, Colts RB Jonathan Taylor wants to be in Indianapolis

[JAFF]

https://www.indystar.com/story/sport...y/69792715007/

INDIANAPOLIS — Jonathan Taylor is coming off the toughest season of his career.

One season after taking the NFL by storm in arguably the best single-season performance a Colts running back has ever had, Taylor battled a high ankle sprain all season long, missed six games and finished with just 861 yards, 22nd in the NFL.


But Taylor is also through his third season now, and that means Indianapolis has a decision to make. A player can sign a contract extension after his third season, and Taylor has one year left on his deal. Colts general manager Chris Ballard prefers to lock up players a year before they can hit free agency.

Taylor largely brushed off any talk of a potential contract extension Monday, saying only that there was another year on the deal and he’d like to be in Indianapolis.

“Oh, I would love to be in Indy,” Taylor said. “100%.”

Taylor also deflected a question about whether or not his injured ankle would need surgery, although he’s already had close to a month to recover, and he says it’s much better.


“It feels a lot better than what it did, so just continue to progress and work through that in the offseason, come back stronger than ever,” Taylor said.

Famously durable before this season, Taylor spends most of his time in the offseasons trying to prevent injury.

The 2022 season was a reminder that it’s impossible to completely prevent injury at his position.


“You hope it doesn’t happen again; the injury rate is 100%,” Taylor said. “But you go out there, and you play hard and you play your heart out every single play, every single down.”

Being forced to sit on the sidelines this season was difficult for Taylor, who hadn’t missed a game at any point in his career until he injured his ankle in a scrum against Tennessee in early October

Taylor’s chief goal, after brushing aside questions about his ankle and his contract, is finding a way to turn the Colts around.

“No. 1 is how can I contribute to the team, as far as: ‘What can I spread throughout this locker room?'” Taylor said. “How can I help elevate the guys that I play around? I use basketball as an example. When you have a great guy on the floor, they talk about how he elevates everyone around him.”

[Colts And Orioles]

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As part of the answer to this author's question, an improved offensive line would help.



Can Colts Star Jonathan Taylor Rebound From His Toughest Season Yet ???

(By Stephen Holder)

https://www.espn.com/blog/indianapol...est-season-yet

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[AlwaysSunnyinIndy]

https://1075thefan.com/92702/jonatha...ontract-talks/

Jonathan Taylor Opens Up On Colts Contract Talks

Written by: Kevin Bowen

INDIANAPOLIS – A change in agents has brought a different tone from Jonathan Taylor when it comes to contract talks with the Indianapolis Colts.

Taylor was ready for the contract questions on Wednesday, stating his case for why he deserves to be valued.

“Hopefully that they can see the value, that we can explain the value, not that it needs explanation, but we just want to be here to help the team, to help the community and uplift the community,” Taylor said on Wednesday, following the end to the spring offseason program. “We will see where things goes, but it’s kind of on them right now. But we will continue to work each and every single day.”

Taylor said on Wednesday that his new representation has approached the Colts about a contract extension.

On more than one occasion Wednesday, Taylor brought up the past precedent of Chris Ballard handling second contracts.

The fourth-year running back is right on that.

When Colts draft picks have performed highly on their rookie deals, which Taylor has easily done, they’ve received extensions from Ballard before the end of their rookie deal.

But does the position Taylor play going to keep these talks ongoing?

The 2023 season marks the final year on Taylor’s rookie contract. He’s due to make $4.3 million this year.

Having just led the league in rushing two years ago, without a major injury on his resume (Taylor is coming off off-season ankle surgery), and a pristine record off the field, it would seem to be a no-brainer to extend Taylor.

That’s not how the NFL is responding to running backs right now.

And Taylor is seeing this with guys like Dalvin Cook, Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs.

“It’s sad,” Taylor said about the running back contract issues around the league. “It sucks because a lot of positions do a lot for their team. But specifically speaking for the running back position, I can just see firsthand what we do, and you just want to be treated fairly. And not even treated fairly, you just want appreciated for what you bring to the team.

“It’s never about yourself. It’s about the team. So what do you bring to the team? So you’re going to see guys fight. You just hope that things work out for them. You see why guys request trades, they just want to feel valued by not only the coaches, their teammates, but the organization as well. I think it’s something you got to continue to do.”

The Colts having hesitancy on handing Taylor some 5-year contract north of $15 million annually makes total sense when you look at the shelf life of that position.

It’s why drafting running backs as high as the Colts took Taylor (41st overall) can complicate things.

Of course, supporting a young quarterback like Anthony Richardson with a sidekick in Taylor is also something the team would love to have for the next handful of seasons.

“You just hope from the track record here, you hope that things are being evaluated the right way,” Taylor said on Wednesday. “It’s not just all about the wins. You want to make sure at the end of the day, guys are winning games, you want to win championships, but it’s a lot. I feel like it’s a lot more with this organization and it’s what are you doing in the community. Are you trying to uplift the community? Trying to uplift your teammates? So you just hope the organization sees that value and everything that you’re trying to provide not only to the team, but also to the community.

“You look at the past and guys who have shown their value, on and off the field, tend to stay here. I mean my goal after I got drafted I’m like, ‘I want to retire a Colt.’ So hopefully the organization sees the same.”

Should the Colts franchise tag Taylor?

Should the Colts go against precedent and let Taylor play out the final year of his contract?

Should they let him walk next offseason?

Should they just pay the guy?

How, and when, this plays out will certainly be a continued storyline not only for Colts fans, but also those around the NFL.