Jonathan Taylor Rumors: Packers, Dolphins Were Willing to Give Colts RB New Contract

The Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers were each willing to offer a lucrative contract to Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, according to CBS Sports' Josina Anderson.

Those offers could have made Taylor one of the league's highest-paid running backs, Anderson said.

ESPN's Stephen Holder reported Wednesday that the Dolphins and Packers had "legitimate interest" in trading for Taylor.

Taylor requested a trade in July, but the Colts retained him after not receiving "what they felt was a fair-value offer" for the 2021 All-Pro, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Taylor will now remain on team's physically unable to perform (PUP) list and miss at least the first four games of the 2023 season.

Taylor's PUP list designation stems from January ankle surgery that led to him not passing his pre-camp physical in July.

Taylor then requested a trade following a dispute with the Colts over his upcoming extension. Taylor, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, was seeking around $14 million to $15 million per year, according to The Athletic's Mike Jones.

That number would have made Taylor's contract one of the top three biggest running back cap hits in the NFL for 2023, alongside Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry ($16.3 million cap hit, per Over the Cap) and Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb ($14.8 million).

Only three other running backs are set to make over $10 million against the cap next season, and they are the franchise-tagged trio of the Dallas Cowboys' Tony Pollard, Las Vegas Raiders' Josh Jacobs and New York Giants' Saquon Barkley.

Taylor is due to make $5.1 million against the cap this season, per Spotrac.

The Colts were looking for "a first-round pick, or package of picks that equates to as much" for Taylor, Holder reported last week. Given their inability to trade Taylor by the reserve/PUP list designation deadline, it looks like the Indianapolis team was not able to find that return.

That is unfortunate for Taylor, who despite racking up an NFL-best 1,811 rushing yards during his Offensive Player of the Year runner-up 2021 season will not yet get the opportunity to earn one of the biggest contracts at his position.