Oct 11, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) warms up before the game against then Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The NFL trade deadline is less than a week away, and it appears that the likelihood of Indianapolis Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor getting traded before Nov. 10 grows with every passing second.
The burgeoning New York Giants remain one of the most aggressive and logical suitors for the 27-year-old New Jersey native, who remains one of the NFL’s top rushers to the tune of 610 yards and eight touchdowns in eight games.
While Big Blue’s running back room appears crowded, trying to add Taylor is a no-brainer. Cam Skattebo is dealing with a hamstring injury, and Tyrone Tracy Jr. is on IR, leaving Devin Singletary as a potential RB1. First-year head coach John Harbaugh is also of the philosophy of building an offense around a bona fide bellcow of a running back — something that Skattebo, Singletary, or Tracy is not.
Even if Skattebo’s hamstring is a short-term non-issue, the Giants’ offense gets significantly better if he’s the No. 2 behind Taylor. It also further opens up a passing game that has shown an abundance of promise under JJ McCarthy, who has performed more than admirably in Jaxson Dart’s absence.
At 4-2-1 entering Week 9, the NFC East is the Giants’ to lose. They have not won the division in 15 years and have won just one playoff game during that stretch. Taylor makes them the type of team you don’t want to see down the stretch.
But what is it going to take to get him?
ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler reported on Wednesday that the Colts’ asking price is understandably high. With Taylor signed through the 2028 season, Graziano said that Indianapolis is of the mindset that it does not “need to move him.” Fowler added that the belief around the league is that the Colts are holding out for the “equivalent” value of a first-round draft pick.
While the Giants parted ways with a fourth- and fifth-round pick in recent months, they still have a first. They also have a second and third they can part with to create a larger package that would save their first-rounder.
This would not purely be a rental, either. Taylor would be the Giants’ man through 2028 before potentially hitting free agency.
“It would have to be, though; honestly, it wouldn’t have to be a short-term thing,” Harbaugh said. “It couldn’t be, for me, a one-and-done type of thing. You want to have a short-term and a long-term win if you’re going to give up draft capital.”
For more on Jonathan Taylor and the Giants, visit AMNY.com
