ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 04: Jonathan Taylor #28 of the Indianapolis Colts carries the ball against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half at AT&T Stadium on December 4, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
ESPN Asks if Extending Jonathan Taylor was Right Move
There’s no questioning the value Jonathan Taylor provided the Indianapolis Colts his first-two years with the team. He led the NFL in rushing in 2021 by a large margin but was injured much of last season.
Taylor was one of several running backs looking for a contract extension in the offseason, and he is the only big-name running back to get one.
Bill Barnwell on ESPN+ examined the running back situation for 2024 across the NFL and makes the argument that paying running backs top dollar is a tougher argument than ever.
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Barnwell looked at Saquon Barkley, Dalvin Cook, Austin Ekeler, Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette, Kareem Hunt, and Josh Jacobs along with Taylor.
“For all of the amazement that those seven non-Taylor backs weren’t able to land the deals they were hoping for this offseason, it’s hard to argue any of them have been vindicated by their 2023 production,” concluded Barnwell at the end of his piece.
“Fournette gets an incomplete grade by virtue of not playing, Ekeler missed time with injuries and Elliott has lived up to his contract with the Patriots, but the other four have all taken a significant step backward from what they did last season, let alone what they were accomplishing at their peaks.”
Barnwell argued that signing Taylor to what amounts to a two-year extension for $26.5 million with a pair of club options was a mistake.
“General manager Chris Ballard also built an offense in which Anthony Richardson and his top five pass-catchers at wide receiver and tight end are all on rookie deals,” wrote Barnwell. “Even backup signal-caller Gardner Minshew is making only $3.5 million. Opportunity cost is a thing, but if any team can afford to guarantee a running back two franchise tags right now, it’s the Colts.”
Had the Colts opted for back-to-back franchise tags it would have saved them about $2 million over two years and mitigated the team’s risk.
