Jonathan Taylor says he hasn't requested trade as Colts' deadline selloff continues

The trade deadline fire sale is on for the Indianapolis Colts, who made two of the NFL's biggest in-season moves of the year this week when they shipped Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks and DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers. With those two stars off the roster, the attention is squarely on running back Jonathan Taylor and whether he will be the next standout Colt to leave town.

If Taylor has any say in the matter, he might remain in Indianapolis. He played each of his first six and a half professional seasons with the Colts and on Thursday said that he wants to stay with the team that drafted him in the second round in 2020.

Taylor said that despite the losses of two critical players and the clear downward trajectory of a franchise that seems committed to a rebuild, he has not requested a trade.

"I haven't heard anything," Taylor said. "I can't control that. Obviously, like you guys know, I'm always proud to wear the horseshoe, proud to be here. Similar to Quenton and Buck. They were proud to wear the horseshoe. They were proud to be here. But obviously, circumstances may cause otherwise. Hopefully that day may not come, but I can't control that."

The potential of a trade is clearly weighing heavily on the Taylor household. Taylor's wife, Ayanna, spoke out about the trade buzz in a social media post, saying her "mind is spiraling."

Taylor himself has to balance the uncertainty surrounding the trade deadline with his duties as the Colts' biggest star. He and the rest of his squad are gearing up for Sunday's divisional battle with the Jacksonville Jaguars. They enter Week 8 as sizable underdogs in the wake of the two blockbuster trades and are in danger of slipping further into the NFL's basement with additional losses tacked onto their already poor 2-5 record.

As it becomes increasingly clear that the Colts are slipping out of contention for the playoffs, and with the franchise firing general manager Chris Ballard in the middle of the season, the biggest question is which additional players, if any, are on the trade block.

"Obviously, it was all speculation until stuff started happening," Taylor said. "Quenton, Buck, those guys are the gold standard of the NFL. Obviously the business side of things, that's where it sucks at. I wish some way, somehow, I could have done more. I wanted to win for those guys. We wanted to get it done here with those guys. Especially Q. He's part of the guys who laid the groundwork. They're definitely gonna be missed."

Among the plethora of candidates to be dealt at the NFL trade deadline, Taylor might be the most impactful. He has twice led the league in rushing touchdowns (including as recently as last season) and paced the NFL in rushing yards in 2021 when he earned a first-team All-Pro selection. He is on pace this season to threaten his career high of 18 touchdowns, given that he already has eight on his ledger through seven games.

The Colts will undoubtedly receive a high volume of calls about their star running back, if they have not already. The Minnesota Vikings may be the best fit of any potential suitor given their offensive needs and the urgency to capitalize on an elite defense, but numerous other teams could also be in the market for a running back upgrade before the Nov. 10 deadline.

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