With the Colts giving Jonathan Taylor permission to seek a trade, which teams could offer a trade package that Jim Irsay couldn't turn down?
If Indianapolis Colts fans thought that Jonathan Taylor ending his holdout and returning to the team for training camp was good news, they got absolutely rocked on Monday.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported early on Monday evening that Jim Irsay and the Colts have granted Taylor and his representation permission to seek a trade with the other 31 teams in the league subsequently left to weigh their options.
There should be no shortage of suitors for Taylor, who has been one of the NFL's premier running backs since he was selected in the second round out of Wisconsin in 2020. However, the Colts aren't going to give him away for pennies as ESPN insider Stephen Holder reports that Indianapolis is seeking a first-round pick or a trade package that equates to that for the running back entering the final year of his rookie contract.
So which teams are going to be in the mix and what can they offer to get the Colts to make the trade? Let's take a look at five teams and the Jonathan Taylor trade packages they can put together to sway the front office in Indy.
NFL Rumors: 5 Jonathan Taylor trade packages Colts can't resist
5. Dolphins trade package for Jonathan Taylor
Almost as soon as the news broke that Taylor had been granted permission to seek a trade, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported that the Miami Dolphins, who missed out on Dalvin Cook in his free agency that ultimately landed him with the Jets, are already exploring the possibility of a trade.
The unfortunate fact of the matter is that the Dolphins don't have a third or fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to deal. So because of that, they could have to get a bit creative to make a Jonathan Taylor trade package work for them. It's still doable, however.
Given that the Dolphins missed out on a first-round pick this past year due to tampering penalties, I find it hard to believe that they would give up one for a running back on an expiring contract. Having said that, this deal would compare somewhat to the Christian McCaffrey deal from last season between the 49ers and Panthers wherein the former gave up a 2023 second, third and fourth-rounder along with a 2024 fifth-rounder.
Taylor has a better rushing pedigree in his young career but is less of a dual-threat player in terms of his pass-catching ability. Thus, the Colts entering a relative rebuild around Anthony Richardson could be enticed by an extra Top 64 pick in each of the next two drafts and a pair of early Day 3 picks to supplement that.
Miami, meanwhile, would get one of the most explosive runners in the NFL to add another dynamic element to one of the most electric offenses in the league under Mike McDaniel's watch.
4. Rams trade package for Jonathan Taylor
Stop me if you've heard this one before, but what if the Los Angeles Rams went all-in on a trade for a star player?
We've seen Les Snead show a lack of affinity for draft capital in many previous instances in order to get his guy, which has resulted in a proverbial stars and scrubs approach to roster building, whether that was with Jared Goff, Jalen Ramsey, Matthew Stafford or a number of other players.
Having said that, the Rams are still in a bit of a period of transition right now as a result of that approach. Stafford remains, under contract, however, which could make one last-gasp effort at a playoff push a feasible course of action, which a Jonathan Taylor trade could play into. And here's what I would see LA offering in such a deal.
Much like the Dolphins, but to a much more severe degree, the Rams don't pass up the opportunity to pick in the first round for the first time in way too close to a decade. But they do give up a substantial haul for the chance to land the star running back for the Colts. It's again akin to the McCaffrey trade with the picks going back to Indianapolis.
With this trade, though, the Rams could potentially push for a playoff spot and one more postseason run with Sean McVay having the best running back under his watch in his career with Stafford, and Cooper Kupp leading the charge.
Might this be a bit aggressive on the part of the Rams given the state of their roster? Perhaps. But that hasn't stopped Snead and this organization before.
3. Bears trade package for Jonathan Taylor
The Chicago Bears are undoubtedly on the come-up. They clearly believe in Justin Fields with the investments they made in wide receiver over the past year, trading a second-round pick for Chase Claypool and also assuring another weapon in the trade down from the No. 1 pick that netted them D.J. Moore from the Carolina Panthers.
While they are much improved on that side of the ball, though, the Bears still lack something in the way of a true dynamo on offense that can really help Fields take things to the next level. We know that he's one of the elite rushing threats at quarterback, but a backfield of Khalil Herbert and D'Onta Foreman supplementing him leaves something to be desired.
Lucky for the Bears, they have ample draft capital to move in a Jonathan Taylor trade package.
The Bears have an extra second-round pick next year due to the trade with the Panthers, which gives them a really advantageous position to make this type of deal to send to the Colts.
Again, I'm not going to have the Bears giving up a first-round pick in this type of trade because, even though they have an extra one in 2024 from the Panthers deal, it just seems like a bad position to put yourself in as a franchise in when it comes to value.
Having said that, adding Taylor to the mix in the Windy City could be massive. It would take some pressure off of Field to progress as a passer in his first season with viable weapons to throw to, but also make him even more dangerous with his legs with the threat of Taylor looming behind an improved offensive line.
2. Bills trade package for Jonathan Taylor
For what feels like eons at this point, fans have been clamoring for the Buffalo Bills to make a big splash at running back. The Devin Singletary and Zack Moss (coincidentally now on the Colts) combination wasn't great, but they do have hopes for James Cook in his second season taking over a bigger role.
The truth of the matter, though, is even Cook is still somewhat of a gamble for the Bills at the position as a largely unproven commodity. Therefore, it might behoove a team trying to get over the hump in the loaded AFC while Josh Allen is entering his prime to make that big move at running back for a player like Jonathan Taylor.
To do that, here's what the Bills trade package could look like.
Buffalo isn't exactly flush with draft capital but they have enough roster talent and veterans under contract that they could give up both of their Day 2 picks in the 2024 draft to Indianapolis along with one of four sixth-rounders and a fourth-rounder next year to try and land Taylor.
When you consider the rushing ability of Allen, adding Taylor could be a massive boon for the Bills offense. He'd given them an element that has been lacking, most glaringly in the postseason — especially playing outdoors in Buffalo at that time of year — that could be exactly what the doctor ordered to take the team over the top and to the next level.
1. Chiefs trade package for Jonathan Taylor
Look, the Kansas City Chiefs don't need Jonathan Taylor. They stumbled upon seventh-rounder Isiah Pacheco last year and he looks to be their lead ball-carrier this season while Jerick McKinnon and first-round bust Clyde Edwards-Helaire spell him in certain situations and on some downs.
But the NFL is a league where we so often see the rich get richer. So why not include the Chiefs among the teams that would be taken up a notch if they traded for Jonathan Taylor? Yes, that's a terrifying notion for the rest of football, but it's also not that outlandish for a team operating from a position of luxury with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback.
As such, here's what a Chiefs trade package to send the Colts might look like.
One of the things working against the Chiefs, of course, is that their draft capital is, put simply, less valuable than almost any other team in the NFL because they are perennial Super Bowl contenders in the Mahomes-Andy Reid era. With that said, this package would still be enticing with three total Day 2 picks and an additional fourth-rounder for the 2025 draft.
That could be enough to get the Colts to make this trade, which would be massive for the Chiefs. For as good as Pacheco performed in this offense, Taylor is simply a better running back. He'd give one of the most potent passing offenses in the NFL the best back they've had in the building since Jamaal Charles or that brief spell of Kareem Hunt, which would be nightmare fuel for the rest of the AFC that's already not having the best dreams thinking about the Chiefs.
