From 'retire as a Colt' to trade request to contact extension: Jonathan Taylor, Colts get on same page

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has been one of the NFL's top ball carriers in his three seasons, and now he has a contract that reflects that. He has gained 3,841 yards, averaging 5.1 per carry, with 33 touchdowns. The 2020 second-round NFL Draft pick also has 104 receptions, three going for scores.

In 2021, he earned All-Pro honors by leading the NFL in rushing yards (1,811), yards per game (106.5) and rushing touchdowns (18). He also had a career-best 40 catches, two resulting in TDs. In 2022, he missed six games, and almost all of another, due to injury.

Taylor was in the final season of his rookie contract, counting $5.11 million toward the team's 2023 salary cap, according to Spotrac. He was the NFL's 13th highest-paid running back.

Taylor asked for a trade from the Colts and missed the first four games on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, but he active in Week 5, with a new deal in hand.

Here's how Taylor's contract situation played out in 2023.

Oct. 7: Jonathan Taylor, Colts agree to contract extension

∎ IndyStar confirms Jonathan Taylor and the Colts agree to a 3-year, $42-million contract extension, with $26.5 million guaranteed.

∎ Is Jonathan Taylor the NFL's highest-paid running back?

Doyel's view: Everybody wins with this deal, but who wins the most?

Oct. 5: Jonathan Taylor returns to Colts

∎ The running back tells local media that he is healthy and ready to play. He brushes off contract questions. The Colts meet the Tennessee Titans in NFL Week 5 action.

Oct. 2: Jonathan Taylor is scheduled to practice

∎ Off the PUP list, coach Shane Steichen says Taylor will practice heading into Week 5, with the possibility of playing against the Tennessee Titans.

Sept. 10: Jonathan Taylor is reportedly feeling good

∎ Multiple reports say Taylor is planning a short stay on the physically unable to perform list and is targeting a Week 5 return. However, there is no reported progress in his contract dispute.

Aug. 30: Chris Ballard says 'relationships are repairable'

∎ The Colts general manager has a news conference to address the cut to 53 players, but Taylor's status dominates the discussion. “We’ve got work to do on the relationship, we’ve got work to do to find a solution to the problem and what we’re going to do,” Ballard said. Here's the full story.

Aug. 29: Colts leave Jonathan Taylor on PUP on roster cuts day

∎ So the running back isn't on his way out of Indianapolis, and he isn't getting on the field, either. By leaving Taylor on the PUP list, he must miss the first four games of the season. If no progress is made early in the season, the NFL trade deadline is Oct. 31.

Aug. 23: Colts give Jonathan Taylor a deadline

∎ The Colts have given the running back until Tuesday, Aug. 29, to find a trade partner. That's the day teams must cut their rosters from 90 players to 53. It's unclear how the team and player would move forward if a deal isn't struck.

Aug. 21: Colts give Jonathan Taylor permission to seek trade

∎ So much for smooth sailing. According to several reports, the Colts allow Taylor to seek a trade. That's a long way from agreeing to a deal, however.

∎ IndyStar's Gregg Doyel addressed the situation, revealing the person who needs this resolved, even as much as Taylor and team management.

Aug. 19: Jim Irsay urges calm in Jonathan Taylor situation

∎ Team owner Jim Irsay went on the team TV broadcast of their preseason game against the Chicago Bears and tried to smooth things over.

"Look, you have these problems. You never go in with no problems at all. These days, you hope you have less contractual problems because of the way the CBA (collective bargaining agreement) is and they work a lot of things through. But you have them. I know (Colts general manager) Chris Ballard is going to work hard and get the waters as calm as they can and go forward."

Aug. 16: Jonathan Taylor leaves Colts to attend to personal matter

∎ The running back had returned to Westfield earlier in the week as ankle rehab continued. The team reports that he has an excused absence.

Aug. 8: Jonathan Taylor is away from the team for treatment

∎ Taylor, who had been on the sideline for previous practices, is away on Tuesday. Coach Shane Steichen said Taylor was getting treatment on his ankle. "This is just a part of his rehab process," Steichen said. "If you don't see him out here, it's a part of his rehab."

Aug. 7: 'That family could use a therapist'

∎ IndyStar's Nate Atkins recaps a messy situation as Taylor continues to stand on the sideline during training camp practices: "He wears a hoodie pulled tight to his forehead and stares out with a blank face. He doesn’t engage teammates much beyond a few isolated conversations. His smile is hard to find." Atkins goes deep on the months that have led to this point.

Aug. 5: Colts sign running back Kenyan Drake

∎ In their quest for running back depth, the Colts bring in 29-year-old veteran Kenyan Drake, who has played for the Arizona Cardinals and Baltimore Ravens in recent seasons.

July 31: Backup running back Zack Moss suffers broken arm

∎ With Taylor silently watching from the sideline, Zack Moss suffers an injury that could keep him out six weeks. That puts Deon Jackson and draft pick Evan Hull on notice in the backfield.

∎ IndyStar's Gregg Doyel watches and listens at Monday's practice, and so little of Taylor's situation makes sense to him.

July 30: Jonathan Taylor refutes report about back injury

∎ A report that Taylor suffered a back injury while training on his own drew a swift response. He posted on social media that he "never reported back pain." If a player suffers an injury while away from the team, it has the option of placing the player on the non-football injury list. A player on NFI is “not entitled to receive his salary, and his contract will continue to run while in such status,” according to the NFL. “That said, the team and player can negotiate a rate of payment for the player on this list.”

July 29: Jonathan Taylor asks for trade; Jim Irsay says no

∎ The running back and team owner Jim Irsay chat, and appear to come away further apart than ever.

“We will not trade Jonathan Taylor,” Irsay said in an audio file sent to IndyStar. “That is a certainty. Not now, or not in October.”

Irsay declines to reveal details of the conversation.

“It’s something that’s going to stay between us, but it was just a good conversation,” Irsay said. “We’re just hopeful in going forward, looking forward to a great season, hoping Jonathan’s a big part of that.”

More from Nate Atkins: Irsay holds hour-long bus chat with Taylor

The team owner adds: “At this point, a (contract extension) is not something that we’re discussing right now,” Irsay said. “This isn’t a comment that has to do with Jonathan Taylor’s situation, but it’s about what my responsibilities are. I’m responsible for everyone on the team, and to look at the cap money that you have, to look at contracts as you go forward.”

Taylor does not comment.

∎ IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel examines how this situation devolved so quickly, and who is responsible.

July 27: Jonathan Taylor's agent: 'I doubt' situation with Colts can be fixed

∎ Team owner Jim Irsay tells ESPN that the Colts have not offered Taylor a contract extension. “We love Jonathan, we need Jonatha ... It's just timing. When your time comes to get paid, then you get paid."

∎ Taylor's agent, Malki Kawa, casts further doubt on the situation by responding to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, who posted: "Hope this relationship can be fixed..." Kawa's response: "I doubt it."

July 26: Colts owner Jim Irsay weighs in, and Jonathan Taylor's agent responds

∎ Contract talks between the Colts and Jonathan Taylor that have largely taken place behind the scenes become publicly contentious. Team owner Jim Irsay posts on social media about the state of running back contracts. Taylor's agent, Malki Kawa, responds: "Bad faith is not paying your top offensive player." Joel A. Erickson has more.

∎ IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel takes the temperature of the situation, and he sees the roots of other unhappy endings for athletes in Indianapolis: "Remember when (Victor) Oladipo was perfect? Remember when everything changed? It was the injury, but it was more than that. It was the money."

July 25: Colts general manager Chris Ballard discusses Jonathan Taylor's contract status

∎ As training camp opens, the Colts GM toes a fine line, praising the running back but not committing to anything: “You pay guys that are going to help you win, regardless of the position. We think very highly of Jonathan. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the great season as a team, and he’s coming off the injury, but Jonathan’s a great player. He’s a great person. I think that’ll play out over time and work out the way it should. Either way.”

∎ Later that day, the Colts place Taylor on the active/physically unable to perform list in the wake of January ankle surgery. They can activate him anytime.

June 14: Jonathan Taylor says 'I want to retire a Colt'

∎ Taylor addresses his contract desires during summer work. He recognizes the issues running backs leaguewide face: “It’s sad, and it sucks. Specifically, speaking for the running back position, because I can speak firsthand, we do a lot. … You just want to be appreciated for what you bring to the team.”

April 19: Jonathan Taylor discusses contract situation

∎ The running back isn't stressing about an extension: “It wouldn’t be a distraction to me. I’m under contract here for four years, I put the pen to the paper, so that’s where I’m at right now. I have an obligation to them, and an obligation to me, but things will happen naturally.”

Do running backs get paid?

Running backs have had a difficult time getting deals that they believe reflect their value. Average salaries for most NFL positions have risen considerably in recent years, but running backs have not seen a similar bump. There are enough capable running backs around the league that teams don't feel the need to sign big-money deals at that position. The average running back salary in 2023 is $1.8 million, which is less than the average kicker, though there are also many more running backs on rosters.

Just this summer, Saquon Barkley and the New York Giants had a standoff over the team using the franchise tag − the average of the top five running back salaries in the league this year − on him. He wound up signing for one year at $10.1 million, roughly the same as the franchise tag, though with bonuses.

Who is the NFL's highest-paid running back?

Tennessee's Derrick Henry is the league's highest-paid running back at $16.37 million in 2023.

Jonathan Taylor news from IndyStar

Dec. 19, 2022: A high ankle sprain knocks out Jonathan Taylor for the rest of the season

Dec. 8, 2022: Jonathan Taylor's production is affected by the Colts' rough season

Nov. 13, 2022: Jonathan Taylor misses time to injury for the first time in his career

What is Jonathan Taylor's Madden rating?

He is at 89 out of 100, 7th best among running backs heading into the 2023 season.

Where did Jonathan Taylor go to college?

Wisconsin, where he rushed for 6,174 yards and 50 touchdowns over three seasons. He was a consensus All-American in 2018 and '19, winning the Doak Walker Award (for nation's best running back) both years.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts running back Jonathan Taylor scheduled to play in NFL Week 5