There is no player at the 2026 NFL trade deadline that’s drawing more intrigue than Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor.
There are plenty of teams showing interest, and he’s maybe the best player who could be on the move at this year’s deadline, barring another surprise trade like the Jeffrey Simmons deal.
While Taylor continues to garner trade interest, what is his actual price tag? According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the Colts have set a very high bar for a Taylor trade. Any interested team is going to have to give up a ton to get Taylor this season.
Colts asking price for Jonathan Taylor revealed
“So how much will it cost? My understanding is a first-round pick, or the equivalent in a Christian McCaffrey–level package (the 49ers sent 2023 second-, third- and fourth-round picks, and a 2024 fifth-rounder to the Panthers for McCaffrey in October 2023) would likely get it done, and the Colts haven’t gotten that price,” Breer writes.
With how costly this trade could wind up getting for an interested team, there is a very real possibility that the Colts wind up keeping him through the deadline.
He’s under contract for 2027, so the Colts don’t have to trade him this Fall. If they get a first-round pick offered to them, however, the Colts would seem likely to accept the trade.
But if a team has reservations about giving up a Round 1 pick, then they could piece together an expensive package using other picks, like what the San Francisco 49ers did for Christian McCaffrey.
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What team will give up such an expensive package for Taylor? For a team to part with such meaningful draft compensation for a running back, they will need to be a team that has a very good chance of making the playoffs.
The Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, and New York Giants have emerged as the most-likely suitors to acquire Taylor from the Colts.
While teams like the Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, and Seattle Seahawks have been linked to Taylor, they aren’t as likely to get him as those other teams are.
If a team does meet the Colts’ lofty demands, it’s going to cost them a first-round pick, or the equivalent of such a valuable selection with Day 2 and 3 picks.
Breer’s report about the Colts’ asking price for Taylor shouldn’t come as a surprise, as this trade demand has been the indication for some time. The Colts have less than a week to make a trade, but if this asking price isn’t met, they might just keep him.
