Jonathan Taylor, Colts Agree to Reported 3-Year, $42M Contract After Trade Rumors

It was contentious, but Jonathan Taylor will be staying with the Indianapolis Colts for the foreseeable future, the team announced on Saturday.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Taylor signed a three-year, $42 million contract extension that includes $26.5 million in guaranteed salary.

"We have extended Jonathan! He's a SPECIAL player and this extension is important knowing the impact he'll make as our team develops under Shane," Colts owner Jim Irsay wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "I have no doubt he'll continue to create highlight plays and memories for our fans. He deserves this deal and I'm happy for him."

The news comes after Taylor was activated off of the PUP list ahead of Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans.

Taylor was entering the final year of his rookie contract in the 2023 season, and a major raise was always coming.

While the 24-year-old had a tough 2022 by his own lofty standards (861 rushing yards and four touchdowns in 11 games), he's emerged as one of the best running backs in football and one of the most talented playmakers in the game regardless of position.

Taylor wasted little time making an impact, rushing for 1,169 yards and 11 touchdowns in his 2020 rookie season. He then exploded in 2021, putting together a legendary season: 1,811 rushing yards, 40 catches for 360 yards and 20 total touchdowns.

It was the sort of effort that generated Offensive Player of the Year buzz—the Wisconsin product finished second behind Los Angeles Rams wideout Cooper Kupp—and established him as a household name.

Ankle injuries hampered Taylor throughout the 2022 season, however, eventually ending his campaign early in December. The Colts, in turn, limped to a 4-12-1 record, fired head coach Frank Reich midseason and went just 1-7 under interim head coach Jeff Saturday, closing the year with seven straight losses.

But there's little doubt Taylor is a star and an instrumental figure for the rebuilding Colts. Locking him up to a long-term extension was the logical move for the franchise, and he made it clear while speaking to reporters after the season that he wanted to stick around.

"Oh, I would love to be in Indy," he said. "100 percent."

"No. 1 is how can I contribute to the team, as far as: What can I spread throughout this locker room?" he added of helping the Colts rebuild after a tough 2022 season. "How can I help elevate the guys that I play around? I use basketball as an example. When you have a great guy on the floor, they talk about how he elevates everyone around him."

But the Colts and Taylor didn't reach a resolution without some major controversy first.

There were contentious public comments from Taylor, Irsay and Taylor's agent, Malki Kawa, in July:

Taylor clearly felt he—and running backs around the NFL—were underpaid, and reportedly attended a Zoom call with a number of other disgruntled stars at the position. That seemed to prompt Irsay's comments, and set off a chain of events that eventually led to the question of whether Taylor might be dealt.

He even requested to be traded:

The Colts eventually relented, allowing Taylor to seek a trade. But cooler heads prevailed, and Indy's star man is sticking around. There's no doubt that Taylor elevates Indy's offense, and will continue doing so for quite some time.