Jonathan Taylor Sweepstakes Heats Up as Giants, Vikings Circle Before Tuesday's NFL Trade Deadline
Indianapolis hasn't found an offer that "blows them away" yet, but with the clock running out before the 4 p.m. Tuesday deadline, the Colts are reportedly ready to revisit the market on their star running back.
The NFL's Nov. 10 trade deadline is bearing down, and no name looms larger over it than Jonathan Taylor's — even though the Colts running back insists he never asked to leave Indianapolis.
"I did not request a trade," Taylor told reporters last week, pushing back on weeks of speculation. That hasn't stopped the rumor mill: the New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings and, to a lesser extent, the Denver Broncos have all been linked to the 27-year-old as the Tuesday 4 p.m. ET deadline approaches, according to Sportsnaut, which cited NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
Colts want a big haul
Indianapolis has reportedly already rejected an offer built around a second-round pick, and owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon is said to want a "significant haul" to part with Taylor, who is under contract for two more seasons. Per Schultz's reporting, the Colts planned to wait until after Sunday's game against the Cowboys — unless an offer "blew them away" — before revisiting the market Monday and Tuesday ahead of the cutoff.
The Giants' pursuit comes with a wrinkle: the team has already traded away its 2027 fourth-round pick (to Cleveland) and its 2027 fifth-rounder (in the September trade for quarterback J.J. McCarthy), leaving New York with less draft capital to offer than some rivals. Even so, ESPN's Dan Graziano said this week he "wouldn't be surprised" if the Giants — surprise contenders at 4-2-1 and sitting atop the NFC East a year after finishing 2-5 at this point — end up landing him.
"I DID NOT REQUEST A TRADE" — JONATHAN TAYLOR
Taylor won't be the only name moving before Tuesday's deadline. The market already produced one of the deadline period's biggest trades on Oct. 29, when the Chicago Bears sent two future first-round picks and a fourth-rounder to the Tennessee Titans for star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons — the first time in the common draft era a defensive tackle has fetched multiple first-round picks, according to ESPN Research cited by the Chicago Sun-Times. Tennessee, sitting at 1-6 at the time, opted to cash in rather than keep the 2019 first-round pick on an expiring timeline.
Whether Taylor becomes the next domino to fall should become clear fast. Barring a change of heart in Indianapolis, Tuesday afternoon will settle one of the deadline's most-watched storylines — and potentially reshape the backfield of whichever contender finally meets the Colts' price.