Jonathan Taylor Contract: How Do Money and Term Affect a Potential Trade?

Despite previous indications that the Indianapolis Colts didn't want to trade Jonathan Taylor, the narrative has suddenly turned on its head. On Monday, news broke that the club was reportedly prepared to let the star running back seek greener pastures.

But what brought us to this point?

While there's plenty of back and forth we can trace—both Taylor and Colts owner Jim Irsay have had no problem saying their piece—the situation involves both money and security. Even if you're not an NFL player, those are two desires you can probably understand.

With all of that being said, let's consider the Taylor contract situation and how it affects the running back's future.

What is Jonathan Taylor's current contract?

While his impressive performances have made him a household name, Jonathan Taylor is still relatively new to the NFL scene. That means he's still playing under his first professional contract.

And since the running back entered the league as a second-round draft pick, he's not on a massive deal. Taylor inked a four-year, $7,829,150 contract, according to Spotrac; the 2023 campaign will be the final year of that pact.

But compensation isn't spread equally across the scope of a contract, which brings us to our next point.

What is Jonathan Taylor's salary?

Although it's tempting to imagine professional athletes being guided by their love of the game, sports are a big-time business. Consider, for example, Jonathan Taylor and his salary.

According to Spotrac, the running back's total cash for the 2023 season will be a shade over $4.3 million, which includes a Proven Performance Escalator. Sounds like a nice chunk of change for playing a children's game, right?

Well, by NFL standards, that's not a massive salary.

Among running backs—and remember, that group has collectively become viewed as more and more expendable—Taylor is making the 19th-most money during the 2023 campaign. When you zoom out further, though, things become even uglier. If you open things up to the entire NFL, the Colts' ball-carrier sits tied for the 443rd spot in the earnings ladder.

Even if we just look at Indianapolis' roster, which posted a 4-12-1 record, Taylor's not that high on the list. His $4.3 million is 13th in Indy's list of cash expenditures for the upcoming campaign.

Starting to connect the dots?

Those contractual factors combine to reach the current situation

Thus far, we've established that Taylor is entering the final year of his contract and that he's making comparatively little money this year. When you add a third factor—the running back has proven that he's capable of dominating the competition when healthy—into the equation, things start to come together.

During this offseason, there's been plenty of public dialogue about how running backs are valued. Taylor joined in on that, voicing his opinion on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter:

There was also an indirect back-and-forth between Taylor's camp and Colts owner Irsay. Compensation and the concept of value were, unsurprisingly, at the heart of the matter.

That brings us to the current situation, in which Taylor has reportedly received permission to seek a trade. The fourth-year player wants to be valued, which manifests in job security and financial compensation. On the other side of the table, the Colts are seemingly hesitant to pay big money for a running back. And if things are (potentially) irreparably broken, trading Taylor would allow the club to recoup some value.

Contractual issues could also complicate a potential trade

Contract talk doesn't end now that Taylor can potentially seek a trade, though. If anything, the scope of complications will only increase.

Again, we don't know exactly what the running back is seeking. It's safe to assume, though, that he wants a multi-year contract that would pay him near the top of his positional group. But that deal can't materialize out of thin air; a team has to be willing to make the offer.

Even if Taylor simply wants to leave Indy on a short-term deal, though, that would still be complicated. Given that the ball-carrier will hit free agency after this season, it's unlikely that a team will shell out a first-round pick (or a package of comparable value) without working out an extension. And if the Wisconsin product is going to agree to that new deal, the terms will have to be to his liking.

Is there a team, though, that's prepared to make a suitable offer from the player's perspective? Maybe, maybe not.

Remember, the prevailing narrative of this summer is that clubs are hesitant to hitch their metaphorical wagons to big-money running backs, no matter how talented they may be. Taylor's recent injuries—DraftSharks believes that he's likely to miss at least a few games in 2023—don't help matters, either.

"Too pricy on both [the asking price and the contractual] fronts," a general manager told Jeff Howe of The Athletic in an August 3 story about Taylor's trade market. All seven execs that were asked unanimously agreed with that sentiment.

On ProFootballTalk, Mike Florio wondered if Indianapolis understood that reality and wanted their star player to see it for himself.

"The goal [of granting the running back permission to seek a trade] could be to let Taylor realize that, even if there's a team that will placate the Colts, there might be no one to satisfy Taylor's financial expectations," Florio wrote. "That could result in Taylor realizing that his best play will be to play for $4.3 million this year, have a big season, and try to work something out next March, with the Colts or someone else."

Contract talk won't end if Taylor isn't traded

So, what if Taylor and the Colts put aside their differences for a season? Everything will blow over and end peacefully, right? Not exactly.

While it's possible that a deal could be agreed before the running back hits free agency, that isn't guaranteed. In 2024, Taylor would be eligible for a franchise tag, which would allow the Colts to retain his services for another year at a fixed price.

Players aren't always a fan of that tactic, though, and three running backs—Saquon Barkley, Tony Pollard, and Josh Jacobs—were franchised tagged this summer and couldn't agree to a long-term extension.

So, if Taylor remains with the Colts through the 2023 campaign, don't expect the drama to magically evaporate. If he puts up strong numbers, we'll be in for more contract discussions and some potential franchise-tag-related drama next year.