Report: Colts ‘hope things settle down’ with Jonathan Taylor after tumultuous week

According to ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio, the Indianapolis Colts are ‘hoping things settle down’ with star running back Jonathan Taylor following a tumultuous week—and want to keep him in the ‘Circle City’ long-term:

“Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Colts hope things settle down, following the ugliness that unfolded over the weekend,” writes Florio.

“So far, it has. And even though Taylor reportedly wants to be traded, the Colts want to keep Taylor — not just for this year, but over the long term.”

Both sides should be admittedly at fault for allowing Taylor’s contract status to get so public and personal to this point—as any ongoing negotiations, even a current lack thereof, should’ve been kept behind closed doors from the get-go.

It makes sense for the Colts to keep quiet and that may mean having team owner Jim Irsay stay silent behind the scenes, whose recent public comments even if not intentionally pointed at Taylor, were arguably not the most graceful in retrospect. For Taylor, that could mean having his representation not stoke the flames further by engaging on social media.

At the end of the day, it still seems like it’s in both parties’ best interests to get a long-term deal done. Even with head coach Shane Steichen’s new offense, the Colts could use a star running back to help ease top rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson’s initial transition into the NFL (after all, look at how much Marshall Faulk and Edgerrin James helped a young Peyton Manning early on in his illustrious Hall of Fame career).

Taylor gives this Colts offense a clear identity and focal point (as its best offensive player), and the team can heavily lean on his legs in the ground game until Richardson is fully ready to take over the reins as a passing, dual-threat quarterback.

Here’s hoping the duo can eventually compromise and find some middle ground because even though this early marriage has endured a recent ‘rocky stretch,’ it can still be a highly productive pairing for the foreseeable future—really benefitting both parties.