Colts' Jim Irsay 'Excited to Have Jonathan Taylor Back' amid Contract Standoff

Jonathan Taylor and Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay haven't been on the best of terms this summer, which led to the star running back requesting a trade from the franchise.

The Colts made it clear that they would not trade Taylor this offseason, and he recently returned to training camp in preparation for the 2023 campaign, much to Irsay's delight.

"We're excited to have Jonathan Taylor back," Irsay said during Saturday's broadcast of the Colts versus Chicago Bears preseason game. "I know these things are always difficult, I respect any time people are, they're trying to fight for their position for their families and all those things."

Taylor reported to training camp on July 25 and formally requested a trade from the Colts after meeting with Irsay, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on July 29.

However, the Colts owner told Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer over text message at the time that the organization would not entertain trading the veteran this summer.

"We're not trading Jonathan… end of discussion," Irsay said. "Not now and not in October!"

Taylor and Irsay's relationship first appeared to be fractured when the latter addressed the depreciated running back market via X, formerly known as Twitter, on July 26:

Taylor's agent, Malki Kawa, made it clear what he and his client thought about the remarks by directly responding to Irsay's post, suggesting that the relationship between the two sides was beyond repair:

Taylor is looking for a long-term extension as he's entering the final year of his contract in 2023. It's possible the Colts will franchise tag him when the time comes to avoid giving him a significant deal.

As we saw this offseason, a couple of the game's top running backs received the tag in Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs.

Taylor rushed for 1,000-plus yards in each of his first two seasons but was limited to 861 yards and four touchdowns on the ground in 11 games last season due to an ankle injury.

The 24-year-old underwent ankle surgery in January and has spent much of the offseason rehabbing away from the team. He was placed on the physically unable to perform list and returned to practice Monday before being granted an excused absence on Wednesday due to a personal matter.

There's about three weeks remaining until the Colts open the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 10. If Taylor isn't fully healthy or decides to not play, the team will have to turn to Zack Moss and Kenyan Drake in the backfield.