Colts running back Jonathan Taylor and owner Jim Irsay are engaged in a war of words as NFL training camps begin to increase in pitch.
With Taylor a pending free agent after this season and running backs around the league wondering how they're supposed to negotiate long-term contracts in a league that no longer wants to keep running backs long term, Irsay is doing nothing to disabuse the general public of the notion that the role simply isn't valued as other positions are.
Taylor is already 10th on the Colts' all-time rushing list with 3,841 yards after just three seasons, and he could well pass Tom Matte for sixth by the end of the season. Edgerrin James still sits atop the list with 9,226 yards.
Taylor and the Colts appear to be at an impasse, as are most of the top running backs in the league. Here is how we've gotten to this point, along with what could happen next.
MORE: Jonathan Taylor's agent pushes back against Jim Irsay's 'bad faith' comment
Jonathan Taylor-Colts contract dispute timeline
The issues between Taylor and the Colts didn't actually start with issues between Taylor and the Colts. Saquon Barkley not reaching a long-term deal with the Giants this summer sparked a discussion about running backs and what it will take for them to get long-term money again.
The situation intensified on July 29 when Taylor met with Irsay on a team luxury bus to discuss recent events. Following the meeting, Irsay told the media that a contract extension was still not something the team planned on doing moving forward.
Shortly thereafter, news broke that Taylor had requested a trade several days prior to meeting with Irsay.
Irsay sparked outrage with his comments about the situation:
#Colts owner Jim Irsay: “If I die tonight and Jonathan Taylor is out of the league, no one’s gonna miss us. The league goes on. We know that. The National Football (League) rolls on. It doesn’t matter who comes and who goes, and it’s a privilege to be a part of it.”
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) July 30, 2023
The Colts owner responded to the trade request news via text to NFL Network's Albert Breer, saying, “We’re not trading Jonathan… end of discussion. Not now and not in October!”
On Wednesday, the outspoken Irsay tweeted that player agents were not negotiating in good faith on behalf of their running backs clients.
"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..to say now that a specific Player category wants another negotiation after the fact,is inappropriate. Some Agents are selling ‘bad faith’..," Irsay tweeted.
Taylor's agent Malki Kawa took note of Irsay's language, simply replying: "Bad faith is not paying your top offensive player."
Irsay backtracked a bit following that comment.
"The comment wasn't really directed at Jonathan," he said, per ESPN. "We haven't exchanged any contract numbers with each other or anything like that. So, it's not like we're in the midst of that. I think we had a tough season last year. Didn't win a lot of games. This is a year about coming back together and having a great year and we're really depending on Jonathan to team up with [quarterback] Anthony Richardson to try and pull together to have a great year."
Irsay also stressed the importance of keeping Taylor.
"We love Jonathan, we need Jonathan," he continued. "Our hope is Jonathan has an outstanding year and that we have a good year as a team and then we get his next contract done. That's the hope. We think the world of him as a person, as a player. It's just timing. When your time comes to get paid, then you get paid."
Taylor might take issue with the assertion that it's "just timing."
Kawa was blunt in a quote tweet of Ian Rapoport saying he hoped the relationship could be repaired: "I doubt it."
MORE: Titans' Derrick Henry explains why he started RB group chat over contracts
Jonathan Taylor contract
Taylor, 24, is slated to be a free agent after this season. The Wisconsin alum has been atop the running back heap alongside the Titans' Derrick Henry since coming into the league, including an All-Pro 2021 season.
| Year | Signing | Cap hit | Dead cap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $813,482 | $1,423,482 | $4,219,798 | |
| 2021 | $813,482 | $1,779,352 | $3,406,316 | |
| 2022 | $813,482 | $2,135,223 | $1,626,964 | |
| 2023 | $813,482 | $5,117,482 | $813,482 |
It would be difficult to quantify Taylor's next contract, especially with the market in flux. But the Colts don't seem willing to break the bank for Taylor moving forward. General manager Chris Ballard was classically coy in talking about negotiations with Taylor.
“The market is what the market is,” Ballard said, per The Athletic. “But saying that, like I’ve always told you, you pay good players. You pay guys that are gonna help you win, regardless of the position. We think very highly of Jonathan. ... We think that’ll play out over time and work out the way it should either way.”
In the current NFL climate, we often see players extended before playing the final year of their contract. It's becoming very clear Taylor isn't going to get that luxury.
