Colts Players 'Openly or Privately Hoping' for Trade amid Jonathan Taylor Rumors, Says NFL Insider

After firing general manager Chris Ballard and kicking off a fire sale last week, the Indianapolis Colts reportedly have players planning their exits.

According to The Athletic's Mike Sando, the Colts' recent moves have "resonated in the Indy locker room, where multiple players are either openly or privately hoping to be sent elsewhere."

Following Ballard's firing, the Colts shipped away two of their best players, sending eight-time Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers. Sando noted that the decisions "sent a shrill signal to the world that they've given up on the 2026 season."

ESPN's Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network also reported on Saturday that the Colts "are now open to trading" star running back Jonathan Taylor. The list of interested teams reportedly includes the Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants.

Indianapolis fell to 2-6 with Sunday's 42-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. To make matters worse, the team doesn't own its 2027 first-round pick after sending it to the New York Jets as part of last year's Sauce Gardner trade.

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Sando noted that it appears the Colts will "continue to go through the motions for the next two-plus months" as they play out the rest of the 2026 campaign. It sounds like multiple players are hoping to be gone from the franchise before it's all said and done.