Jonathan Taylor’s trade request all but signals demise of RB position

Colts RB Jonathan Taylor just requested for a trade out of Indy. Is this the end of the running back position in the NFL?

Amid an ongoing running back strike of sorts in the NFL, Indianapolis Colts’ Jonathan Taylor just had to add more kerosene to the fire.

As first reported by NFL’s Ian Rapoport, Taylor requested a trade out of Indy on Saturday after meeting with Colts owner Jim Irsay. Of course, it would be a Saturday.

Irsay had reportedly invited Taylor onto his luxury bus at a Colts training camp practice, where the two presumably had a closed-door meeting about Taylor’s future on the team. Not only was this an incredibly sketchy way to do business, but it tells the league what many already know: the running back position is getting devalued more and more every year.

If a star-bereft team like the Colts don’t want to pay Jonathan Taylor, where’s the hope for the rest of the league’s running backs?

Colts RB Jonathan Taylor requests trade ahead of 2023 season

The 23-year-old rushed for back-to-back 1,000-plus yard seasons in his first two years in Indy, but an ankle injury caused him to miss six games in 2022. Taylor is entering the final season of his rookie contract, due to earn 4.3 million in base salary, and was likely jostling for the stability of a long-term deal much like what other top backs (Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard) are asking for.

For those following the young Indy back’s ongoing contract dispute this offseason, Taylor’s fallout with Irsay may have been a long time coming.

ESPN’s Stephen Holder recently reported that Taylor’s relationship with the Colts was “unraveling” and that “everything is on the table right now.”

Few believed Irsay would have the chutzpah to actually trade one of the Colts’ most talented offensive threats. Heading into 2023, the Colts will begin a new regime under head coach Shane Steichen, putting the brief and comical Jeff Saturday era behind them.

With a jumbled-up QB room of Anthony Richardson, Gardner Minshew, and Sam Ehlinger, the Colts were expected to continue to rely on Taylor’s effectiveness on the ground. Taylor averaged a career-low 4.5 yards per attempt, but entering his fourth NFL season in full health, he still poses as the Colts’ most dynamic weapon.

If the Colts honor Taylor’s trade request, former Buffalo back Zack Moss will be the next man up. Richardson, Moss, Alec Pierce, Isaiah McKenzie — this is the unsolidified shape of the Colts’ future assuming Irsay doesn’t want to give Taylor a long-term extension. It’s a pretty dim future for Indy, but perhaps an ever dimmer one for the state of the running back position.