A franchise in the middle of rebuilding stands at the edge of a choice that every rebuilding team eventually faces: whether to hold onto a player who defined an era or to convert his value into a future still unwritten. The Indianapolis Colts, with their trade deadline closing Tuesday afternoon, have made the cold arithmetic of the calendar impossible to ignore, and All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor sits at the center of it. His former teammate Nick Foles, speaking with the reluctant clarity of someone who has worn both the locker room jersey and the front office hat, admits that a trade ma
Nick Foles Says Colts Should Trade Jonathan Taylor to a Contender, Calling the Rebuild Decision Painful
"That pains me to say."
Mark
Why does Foles' comment carry weight here? He isn't in the front office.
Mimi
He was Taylor's teammate, so he speaks from the locker room. And he said both things out loud: he'd never trade him as a teammate, but as a decision maker he expects it.
Mark
He also asked for a specific destination.
Mimi
A contender. He said Taylor deserves that opportunity, which is a request about the player, not the Colts' return.
Luke
Worth saying plainly: Foles is a former teammate offering a prediction. He's not reporting what the Colts will do.
Mark
What's actually established about the Colts' position?
Mimi
Irsay-Gordon has already approved trading Nelson and Buckner, and she's reportedly taking calls on Taylor, Jones and Downs.
Luke
Note the word reportedly. The taking-calls part and the asking price are attributed, not confirmed by the team.
Mark
And the McCaffrey comparison?
Mimi
That's the reported benchmark: second-, third- and fourth-round picks in 2023 plus a 2024 fifth from the 2022 deal.
Luke
Which suitors are real is still unknown. The Giants are described as aggressive; the Broncos and Vikings are only rumored.
Mimi
And the deadline is 4 p.m. ET Tuesday, so that will settle it.
Der Puls
- The Colts have declared themselves sellers, and the clock to Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline is shrinking the room for every decision.
- Foles has publicly split his heart from his head, admitting he would never trade Taylor as a teammate yet expects the rebuilding franchise to do it.
- Indianapolis is already moving other veterans like Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner, and reports of calls on Taylor have stirred the locker room and fanbase.
- Asking price is reportedly steep, modeled on the Christian McCaffrey blockbuster, and suitors such as the Giants, Broncos and Vikings must decide whether to pay it.
- The standoff is settling into a question of who blinks first, with Taylor's fate landing either on a contender's roster or staying in Indianapolis.
A franchise in the middle of rebuilding stands at the edge of a choice that every rebuilding team eventually faces: whether to hold onto a player who defined an era or to convert his value into a future still unwritten. The Indianapolis Colts, with their trade deadline closing Tuesday afternoon, have made the cold arithmetic of the calendar impossible to ignore, and All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor sits at the center of it. His former teammate Nick Foles, speaking with the reluctant clarity of someone who has worn both the locker room jersey and the front office hat, admits that a trade may be the sensible course even as it pains him to say so.
With the NFL trade deadline set for 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, the Indianapolis Colts have accepted their role as sellers, and the biggest question on their roster is what becomes of All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor. He has become the most discussed name in a rebuild that is already well underway.
Former Colts quarterback Nick Foles, who once shared a huddle with Taylor, weighed in during an interview previewing his work on Netflix's first NFL Thanksgiving Eve game. He described having to shift into a business mindset. As a teammate he would never move Taylor, because of what he brings as a leader and a player. As a decision maker, though, he sees a running back getting older and a chance to bring back a high draft pick. He expects the Colts to pull the trigger, and admitted, "That pains me to say." He asked only that Taylor, who is 27, land with a contender, because he deserves that chance.
The rebuild is already real. Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon has signed off on trading guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, and she is reportedly listening to offers for Taylor, quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Josh Downs. Taylor has drawn the most chatter. Interim general manager Ed Dodds is part of the final call.
The asking price is reportedly high, modeled on what San Francisco paid Carolina for Christian McCaffrey in 2022: multiple picks spanning the second through fifth rounds. A buyer would also gain Taylor under contract through 2028, which makes the cost easier to justify. The New York Giants, aggressive in their first season under John Harbaugh, are reportedly among the interested teams, with the Broncos and Vikings also circling.
The standoff now comes down to who bends first. For Taylor, the answer arrives Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.
With the NFL trade deadline set for 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, the Indianapolis Colts have settled into the role of sellers, and the question hanging over them is what they will do with running back Jonathan Taylor, the All-Pro who has become the most discussed name on their roster.
Former Colts quarterback Nick Foles, Taylor's one-time teammate, was asked about it by OutKick during an interview previewing his work as an analyst on Netflix's first-ever NFL Thanksgiving Eve game. His answer began with a reluctant shift in perspective. He said he now had to put on a business mind. As a teammate, he said, he would never trade Taylor, because he knows what Taylor brings as a leader and a player. As a personnel decision maker, though, he sees a running back getting older, and a chance to land something of real value, such as a high draft pick. The Colts have already shown they are rebuilding, Foles said, and he expects them to do it. Then he added: "That pains me to say."
He also made one request. If Taylor, who is 27, is going to be moved, Foles wants him sent to a contender, emphatically. He said Taylor deserves that opportunity, and that he would be dearly missed in Indianapolis for the quality of person, teammate and player he is. Foles said he could still see the team doing it from a business standpoint, to collect draft capital.
The rebuild is not hypothetical. Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon has already given the go-ahead to trade guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. She is reportedly taking calls on Taylor as well, along with quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Josh Downs. Of those names, Taylor has drawn the most trade chatter since the Colts committed to the rebuild. Interim general manager Ed Dodds is part of the decision on whether to pull the trigger.
The asking price is reportedly steep. The Colts are said to want a return along the lines of what the San Francisco 49ers sent the Carolina Panthers for Christian McCaffrey in the 2022 deadline deal: a second-, third- and fourth-round pick in 2023 and a fifth-round pick in 2024.
A buyer with that kind of draft capital could make the case for paying it. Taylor would be locked in through the 2028 season, so the acquisition would cover more than the current campaign. It would run two years beyond it, before a possible extension.
The New York Giants are among the teams reportedly being aggressive. John Harbaugh's squad sits atop the NFC East in his first season there and could use an elite back for the present and the future. The Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings, among others, have been rumored to be in the market as well. The report frames the standoff simply: who bends first, if anyone.
Foles, for his part, is eager to see how teams look once the deadline passes. On Nov. 25 he will join fellow former players Clay Matthews and Michael Irvin and host Elle Duncan on the broadcast of the Los Angeles Rams-Green Bay Packers game, which also features a halftime performance by U2, marking 50 years together. By then rosters will have changed, and the following weeks will show whether the deadline moves paid off. For Taylor, the answer arrives Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Please send Jonathan to a team that's a contender. Give him that opportunity.— Nick Foles, former Colts quarterback
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