Jonathan Taylor Landing Spots: Washington Commanders and Tennessee Titans Among Limited Trade Candidates

In a league where most NFL owners speak up only when spoken to, a few go out of their way to make headlines. Colts owner Jim Irsay is one of those owners, and his recent comments have everyone wondering what will happen with Jonathan Taylor as the team and player approach contract extension talks.

“NFL Running Back situation- We have negotiated a CBA, that took years of effort and hard work and compromise in good faith by both sides,” Irsay tweeted. “To say now that a specific Player category wants another negotiation after the fact, is inappropriate. Some Agents are selling ‘bad faith.’”

Jonathan Taylor Landing Spots

Irsay’s tweet was met defensively by Taylor’s agent, and the Colts’ owner has since said that he wasn’t “really” directing his comments at Taylor or his agent but to Najee Harris and his comments about restructuring the way the NFL does RB contracts.

The best in the game are scraping for every dollar they earn. Running back’s have been devalued to the point where no free agent signed for more than $6.25 million per season during the offseason on a foreign team. That player was Miles Sanders, who was one of the most efficient runners in the league a season ago behind a ridiculously talented Eagles offensive line.

But these players are also arguably the league’s greatest warriors. Offensive linemen take a beating on every play of the game, but the league has legislated away the nasty blows to the head linemen used to dole out. Running backs take a constant beating at greater speeds, and it’s clear by the dip in production after a few seasons that those mounting hits take their toll.

One of the most physically gifted players in the NFL, Saquon Barkley, took a one-year deal at just slightly over the franchise tag number, and there is no clause preventing the team from tagging him again next offseason. The deal, in a way, was a win-win for the team and player, but it was a resounding loss for the position.

Is there a situation where it makes sense to pay a running back a significant chunk of the salary cap? And if there is, are there any teams out there that could be willing to not only pay the player but give up draft capital to do so?

It seems unlikely in the current climate. But if a team wanted to make a push by adding an elite, albeit dependent, player to their depth chart, which teams would make sense?

Tennessee Titans

An intra-divisional trade with the Tennessee Titans seems like an insane proposition, but let’s think about it for a second. If you’re the Colts, and you don’t believe that paying a runner is worth it and the production you get from them is relatively replaceable, a divisional opponent is exactly who you’d want to trade that player to.

Paying an RB what the organization would deem an extortionate amount of money would handicap their ability to pay positions elsewhere. Additionally, they’d be giving their draft picks(s) to a division rival — essentially, it’d be a double whammy.

But why does this make sense for the Titans? The timing would be perfect. Derrick Henry’s contract expires after the 2023 NFL season, as does veteran QB Ryan Tannehill’s. Paying a runner makes more sense when the organization isn’t paying a significant portion of the salary cap to a quarterback.

Will Levis will likely take over next season, and the Titans won’t have much money wrapped up in the position. But their run and play-action-heavy offensive structure also makes sense for a player like Taylor, who is probably the closest thing we have in the NFL to Henry, who he’ll be replacing.

Washington Commanders

Taylor doesn’t necessarily fit the mold of an Andy Reid RB, and Eric Bieniemy likely has a similar outlook on the position. However, the Commanders find themselves in a situation similar to the Titans, with a young quarterback not making much money on a team with a talented defense.

The one thing that makes Taylor more valuable than other runners is his big-play ability. Four yards and a cloud of dust isn’t sustainable. Explosive plays are paramount to scoring touchdowns. He ranked third in 15+ yard runs as a rookie and first in his incredible 2021 season.

However, in 2022, behind an underwhelming offensive line, he only produced seven such runs. That tied him with names like Khalil Herbert, Latavius Murray, and Cam Akers.

So is it the chicken or the egg?

Well, one look at Taylor’s skill set will provide that answer. Yes, as a runner, his success will be tied to the success of the 300-pounders up front. But his contact balance, agility, and breakneck speed also allow him to break chunk plays that merely mortal backs cannot.

Chicago Bears

Taylor’s fit with the Chicago Bears could be better fleshed out after seeing how the RB performs in Shane Steichen’s offense with Anthony Richardson taking snaps. But the thought of Justin Fields and Taylor in the same backfield would legitimately terrify defensive coordinators.

This would also move Taylor to the NFC, where the Colts don’t really have to worry about him hurting them — if they think he even could. The Bears still have time before Fields’ money hits on a second contract — should an extension occur. Additionally, the Bears have more salary cap space than any other NFL team heading into 2023, topping the charts at over $34 million.

They could completely front-load the deal, make a push in what looks like a vulnerable NFC North, and then coast into the future, knowing Taylor won’t crush them monetarily at the same time as Fields.