Indianapolis Colts‘ running back Jonathan Taylor could be in line for a big payday. In 2024, he had a heavy workload with 303 carries, but he turned that into 1,431 yards and 11 touchdowns (plus one TD receiving). Taylor is a fantasy football monster on a very mediocre team.
He’s also up for a new contract in two years.
And, NFL researcher Anthony Holzman-Escareno thinks that Taylor could get paid.
“As a second-round pick, Taylor avoided the fifth-year option and signed three-year extension at just 24 years old prior to 2023,” Holzman-Escareno writes. “This puts him in line to be an unrestricted free agent at 28 in 2027. With the cupboard bare of running backs who are poised to legitimately challenge Saquon Barkley for the All-Paid crown, Taylor is shunted to the top of the list.”
If he’s productive in 2025, Taylor has earned a raise
Taylor is a sturdy 5’10” and 226 lbs. That’s not a little guy. However, he’s still endured a lot of wear and tear with two 300+ carry seasons in five years. That could take a toll on just about any size running back.
“In 2021, Taylor became the youngest player in the Super Bowl era to win the rushing triple crown, leading the NFL with 332 carries, 1,811 rush yards and 18 rush touchdowns at 22 years old,” Holzman-Escareno writes. “He missed six games with multiple ankle injuries in 2022, his third pro season, but that did not stop the Colts from signing the former All-Pro to a three-year, $42 million extension, even as his ankle kept him on the PUP list to begin the year.
“Unfortunately, he then missed three more games with a thumb injury in 2023 — but any questions that were raised about his productivity were answered in 2024. Although a high ankle sprain did knock him out for three games, Taylor finished last season on an absolute heater, totaling a league-leading 627 rush yards and six touchdowns in Indy’s final four games.”
This could be the season where Taylor can break the bank. If he has another big season, the Colts will be forced to make a decision on his future.
Can Taylor stay on the field?
What would another 300-carry season mean for Taylor? Surely, if he gets a heavy workload again – and judging by the quarterback situation, Indy might have to really lean on him again – his long-term durability will be in question.
“The only concern with Taylor has been health,” Holzman-Escareno concludes. “On the field, he’s averaged 100-plus rushing yards per game in two of his first five NFL seasons. The only players to do that more times to start their careers? Hall of Famers Jim Brown and Eric Dickerson.”
That’s great, but that doesn’t mean the Colts (or other NFL teams) won’t think about him falling off a cliff physically after he gets some market-setting contract.
It was only a few years ago that NFL running backs were breaking the bank. Players like Le’Veon Bell, Christian McCaffrey, Ezekiel Elliott and Todd Gurley got big contracts from their teams and, since then, the running back market has cooled significantly. That is until the Philadelphia Eagles paid Saquon Barkley and the Baltimore Ravens rewarded Derrick Henry.
There are some other young running backs (Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson come to mind) that could score big extensions, but Taylor would be the next in line to cash in.
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