Jonathan Taylor is one of, if not the biggest name making headlines ahead of the 2026 NFL trade deadline. The Indianapolis Colts are expected to part with the star running back, who has multiple suitors. The New York Giants are just one of them.
On Saturday, Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter of ESPN and NFL Network revealed the Colts‘ willingness to trade Taylor and mentioned the teams that showed interest in him. Apart from the Giants, they named the Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings.
A day later, Jordan Schultz of FOX added the Cincinnati Bengals to the mix and provided an important detail: “The asking price is believed to be too high right now, but sources do believe a trade is leaning to be more likely than not at this point.“
What the Colts might expect in return to trade Taylor
The specific asking price in question remains unconfirmed, but there are some clues. For instance, the Colts reportedly rejected an offer led by a second-round pick.
Schefter and Rapoport understand that Indianapolis might seek a similar compensation to the one the Carolina Panthers got by trading Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers in 2022. That year, the Niners exchanged second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-round picks to get the star RB.
NY Giants need to be aggressive again
This might give the Giants an idea of what they should give up if they want to land Taylor. Otherwise, they may not get it done. Let’s keep in mind that there are many other teams with enough motivation to meet the Colts’ demands.
One of them are the Broncos, who might use a RB like Taylor after placing RJ Harvey on injured reserve. The Giants have draft capital to pull off a trade like the one the 49ers made for McCaffrey, but sacrificing those picks would leave them with practically no room to maneuver in the 2027 NFL Draft.
New York has picks in the first three rounds apart from two sixth rounders in 2027. The Giants already gave up their fourth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in the deal that allowed them to draft Malachi Fields in April, and they also sent a fifth-rounder to the Minnesota Vikings to get J.J. McCarthy after Jaxson Dart’s injury this season.
The Giants have been aggressive since John Harbaugh was named head coach, but only time will tell us how far they go to get Taylor.
Key takeaways
- Giants, Broncos, Packers, and Vikings are the four teams showing interest in Jonathan Taylor.
- A second-round pick led a trade offer that the Colts have reportedly rejected.
- The 2022 Christian McCaffrey trade represents the compensation package the Colts are reportedly seeking.
