Colts' Jonathan Taylor eager for 'verdict' amid trade speculation. He'll get one soon

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor said he's ready for the NFL's trade deadline to pass so he has a "verdict" on his future with -- or perhaps without -- the franchise that drafted him in 2020.

"The past couple weeks, it's kind of been the same thing," Taylor said Thursday of the rampant trade speculation about him. "But it won't be Tuesday at that time (because) then you'll know exactly what's going on. You'll know exactly what the verdict is. So you just have to continue to go to work. You gotta go out here and try to win this game."

The NFL's trade deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, which could make Sunday's home game against the Dallas Cowboys the last time Taylor suits up for the Colts. The three-time Pro Bowler said he plans on treating it like a normal game.

"You try not to think about that because you don't want external factors creeping in and trying to alter your play," he said. "You want to go out there and have the same routine each and every single week because it's worked so far throughout my career."

The Colts are 2-6 and have lost four straight games. Last week's 42-7 road loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars was the franchise's most lopsided defeat since 2017. Taylor was limited to just eight carries, his fewest since 2023, for 23 yards in the Colts' ninth straight road loss. What's more, Indianapolis has lost 13 of its past 15 games, and Taylor has been held below 100 rushing yards in all 15. It's the longest drought of his career.

The Colts are likely headed toward their sixth straight season without a playoff berth, and they've recently made a slew of major organizational changes that would suggest they're rebuilding. As a result, trade rumors about Taylor have only intensified. The first domino to fall was when Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon fired general manager Chris Ballard on Oct. 19, less than 24 hours after the Colts were booed off the field following a home loss to the previously winless Tennessee Titans.

Eight days later, the Colts traded All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-rounder, and All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2027 fourth-rounder. Unlike Buckner and Nelson, who are on expiring contracts, Taylor signed a two-year, $44 million extension in August that puts him under contract through the 2028 season. Because Taylor is more than a half-year rental, he's viewed as the Colts' hottest trade commodity and has plenty of suitors.

In recent weeks, Taylor repeatedly stated he hadn't requested a trade. However, when asked Thursday if that remains the case, he didn't give a clear answer.

"At this point, the hay is in the barn now," Taylor said. "We're preparing for the Dallas Cowboys. … After last week, nothing else matters. We just gotta get these fans a win. We gotta put out a great, premium product. It can't be what we put out last week."

Taylor added he never considered sitting out Sunday, presumably to avoid a potential injury before the trade deadline, nor did the Colts. Coach Shane Steichen said Taylor will have his usual workload against the Cowboys. The 27-year-old has 148 carries for 610 yards and eight touchdowns through eight games this year.

As Taylor prepares for his 93rd regular-season game with the Colts, he conceded that it's impossible to avoid all of the trade chatter, particularly online and via social media. His wife, Ayanna, has even chimed in by releasing a series of TikTok videos about trade rumors involving her husband, although Jonathan Taylor said her thoughts are not a direct reflection of his.

"This waiting game is driving me crazy," Ayanna Taylor said via TikTok. "I feel like a prized calf waiting for the slaughter. It's gonna happen today? Tomorrow? Is it never gonna happen? And I genuinely cannot decide what's worse: being blindsided and sent away or being the last one standing (and) knowing what may be coming."

Taylor set the Colts' single-game rushing record (253 yards) as a rookie in 2020. He won the league rushing title (1,811 yards) en route to a first-team All-Pro nod in 2021. And last year, he became the Colts' all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (now at 77), surpassing Hall of Famer Edgerrin James. Obviously, with a resume like that, Taylor will always be revered in Indianapolis, but the next few days will determine whether he'll continue to call it home.

"Everybody wants clarity," Taylor said. "No one wants uncertainty."

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.