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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The NFL trade deadline has passed, and Jonathan Taylor remains with the Indianapolis Colts.
Multiple teams put offers down for the All-Pro running back, including the New York Giants, who reportedly offered the Colts a second- and fifth-round pick. But with Indianapolis pushing for a first-round pick and more, according to recent reports, nobody wanted to pay up.
Taylor had a chance to address the entire saga speaking with reporters on Thursday.
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"That's way above my pay grade," Taylor said. "Those are some hard decisions that you have to make. I'm glad I don't have to make those decisions. I'm glad I just have to come in here, make sure that I'm at my best each and every single day for my coaches and my teammates. So I would hate to be in that situation. But I know that they have a vision and a plan for it.
"Right now, we just gotta execute. The best thing that's gonna help us is executing, going out, getting a win versus Miami," Taylor added.
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Taylor has been a professional throughout the entire process. He's repeatedly said he's proud to be a Colt and will respect whatever decision the front office makes. Even after their loss to Dallas in Week 9, he went ahead and thanked the fans for everything they've given him during his seven seasons in Indianapolis.
Of course, speaking like that two days before the trade deadline only added fuel to the fire.
With the Colts trading away other franchise cornerstones like Quenton Nelson, DeForest Buckner, and Josh Downs, it felt like a foregone conclusion that Taylor would be the next man to go. The team is heading towards a rebuild, loading up on draft capital, and just fired its longtime general manager, Chris Ballard.
Of all the players on the roster, Taylor would have commanded the largest haul by far, and if this is a team building towards the future, one would think that's the move to make, especially with so many running back-needy teams in the league. The Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, and Denver Broncos had all been floated as possible landing spots.
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That said, there is also a path where keeping Taylor makes sense for the franchise. He's still just 27 years old, putting him firmly in his prime, and is only one season removed from rushing for 1,585 yards and a league-leading 18 touchdowns. He's still one of the best players in the league, and the team just signed him to a two-year, $44 million extension a few months ago. That's the type of player you can still build around, if you bring in the right pieces around him.
Keeping him now also gives you the option to trade him after the season, when his value could go up. If the Colts felt like none of the offers were a fair price for Taylor, it would make sense to wait, especially since there's no real need to move him now.
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