Colts Insider on Jonathan Taylor Trade Rumors: Speculation RB on PUP List as Hold-In

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is on the physically unable to perform list, but that reportedly might not only be because he is recovering from ankle surgery.

James Boyd of The Athletic reported "some have speculated" being on the PUP list "is the running back's way to 'hold-in' without getting fined for holding out. Either way, he's yet to play a snap for the Colts during training camp, and whether he plays another down for the Colts is a legitimate question."

This comes after NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Taylor requested a trade following a meeting with Colts owner Jim Irsay.

Irsay responded by telling Albert Breer of The MMQB the team is "not trading Jonathan… end of discussion. Not now and not in October."

He also told reporters, "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."

The running back market has been under the spotlight this offseason as players such as the Los Angeles Chargers' Austin Ekeler, the New York Giants' Saquon Barkley, the Las Vegas Raiders' Josh Jacobs and the Dallas Cowboys' Tony Pollard have failed to land long-term deals.

Taylor is under contract through just the upcoming season, and his relationship with the Colts took center stage after tweets from Irsay and the running back's agent, Malki Kawa:

It has now reached a point that the Wisconsin product's future with the only NFL team he has ever known is very much up in the air even though he is not far removed from his dominant 2021 campaign that saw him finish with 332 carries for 1,811 yards and 18 touchdowns to go with 40 catches for 360 yards and two touchdowns.

He dealt with injuries last season on his way to 11 games, but he is still just 24 years old and figures to be among the league's best running backs in 2023 if and when he does play.