Indianapolis Colts and RB Jonathan Taylor Agree to Three-Year Deal

Jonathan Taylor was the last big-name NFL running back who had yet to sign an extension with his club. The holdout lasted until this weekend when it was reported that he and the Indianapolis Colts have agreed to a new contract. It’s a three-year deal worth up to $42 million, with $26.5 million guaranteed.

Check out our NFL odds for plenty of Week 5 football action and more.

The odds versus the Titans for Week 5 haven’t moved in Indianapolis’ favour, at least not yet. The Titans were a -1.5 favourite earlier this week and actually sit at -2.5 as of Saturday afternoon.

Colts and RB Taylor Agree to Three More Years

Jonathan Taylor’s road to get to this point was rocky, to say the least. The 2021 NFL rushing king ended the 2022 campaign with a significant ankle injury that required surgery.

After an offseason of convalescence, then began a multitude of running back contract negotiations and stalemates around the league, with Taylor as one of many ball carriers demanding fair pay. Saquon Barkley, Joe Mixon, and Josh Jacobs all expressed frustration and even threatened holdouts in some cases. All received new deals, but nothing earth-shattering, generally one-year deals that were a bit more than what the franchise tag would have paid them.

Taylor, in contrast, has earned himself a three-season contract that guarantees him at least $26.5 million. Things developed quickly when the Indianapolis Colts removed Taylor from the PUP list this week, enabling him to hit the practice field in the leadup to this weekend’s clash with the Tennessee Titans.

As mentioned, since getting drafted in 2020, his best year was 2021 when he dashed for 1,811 yards and scored 18 majors and an impressive 5.5 yards per carry. Having that kind of productivity can provide rookie QB Anthony Richardson with plenty of support.

Zach Moss had carried most of the load in Taylor’s absence, with Trey Sermon acting as his backup.