Jonathan Taylor formally requested a trade from the Colts on Saturday, and these three teams should go all-in on a trade, with one wild card looming.
The writing was on the wall for Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, without question, but he made it official on Saturday. After he and his agent had expressed displeasure with the current running back market in the NFL as he enters the final year of his rookie contract, Taylor requested a trade after meeting with team owner Jim Irsay.
Missing time due to injury last season and appearing in only 11 games, Taylor still has 3,841 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns over 43 games in his career to this point, including a marvelous 1,811 yards and 18 scores in the 2021 campaign. He's also been more than just a volume runner, averaging 5.1 yards per carry for his career.
As noted by ESPN Colts insider Stephen Holder, Irsay has said that he won't trade Taylor, but an "early-round pick" could also be enough to move Indianapolis to make that deal. So which teams would make the most sense for a Jonathan Taylor trade?
These three teams could benefit from going all-in on Taylor, and there's one wild card that could turn the league on its head if they got involved.
Jonathan Taylor trade rumors: 3 best landing spots, 1 wild card to swoop in
4. Jonathan Taylor could be the long-term answer the Buffalo Bills need at RB
Another offseason, another conversation about the Buffalo Bills possibly needing to upgrade their backfield around their cast of weapons headlined by Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis.
The 2023 season, as things stand currently, could be the first look at James Cook earning the RB1 duties in Buffalo. The younger brother of Dalvin Cook, James has flashed some real potential early in his career. At the same time, though, there are no shortage of people who question whether or not he can be an every-down back in the NFL.
For years, the Bills have lacked a consistent rushing attack outside of Allen using his legs. That's not for a lack of trying, to be sure. Buffalo used relatively valuable draft picks to add both Devin Singletary and Zack Moss to the fold, but neither player was able to invigorate the run game for the offense.
If there's one lesson that the Bills should've learned from the rival Chiefs, though, it's the value of having a consistent run game and how that can help the rest of the offense.
Now, Kansas City has proven that a team doesn't need a star in the backfield, but it could make it a much simpler task to upgrade the rushing attack by adding a player of Taylor's caliber. If they want to truly go all-in chasing a ring, then making a trade for Jonathan Taylor would undoubtedly help the cause.
3. Patriots could upgrade RB finally with an all-in Jonathan Taylor trade
If there has been a running back on the open market, you can believe that the New England Patriots have met with them.
Bill Belichick's club has been trying desperately to get their foot in the door with Dalvin Cook since he was released by the Minnesota Vikings, but the organization has also courted several other free agent runners, including most recently with former Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott, which resulted in a little dinner date between Zeke and Patriots quarterback Mac Jones.
With the departure of Damien Harris this offseason, though, the way that New England has worked the running back market wholly indicates that the franchise isn't confident in Rhamondre Stevenson as the top option out of the backfield — or at least as the only option.
Reports have indicated that the future for Belichick with the Patriots might not be as certain as many fans who remember his decades-long run of success in Foxborough might believe. As such, putting Mac Jones and the offense in the best position to take a step forward is likely a major focus of this offseason.
Adding Jonathan Taylor in a trade would accomplish that quite easily. While alleviating pressure off of Stevenson by giving the Pats a surefire RB1 in the offense, it would also take some of the weight off of Jones' shoulders too as the offense could be built around Taylor and the rushing attack.
2. Bears could build NFL's best rushing offense with Jonathan Taylor trade
Justin Fields wowed us all last season, his second campaign as QB1 for the Chicago Bears. The former first-round pick progressed as a passer from his brief rookie season, though he still left something to be desired as he completed just 60.4% of his throws for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
With his legs, however, he was virtually unstoppable. Fields rushed 160 times in the 2022 season for an unreal 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns, giving him a league-leading 7.1 yards per carry average for the year. If he can marry that with an improve passing offense — a reasonable expectation given the additions of D.J. Moore, Tyler Scott and a competent corps of pass-catchers overall in addition to improving the offensive line — he can be a superstar.
It's also a prove-it year for Fields in year three with the Bears, though. And a big part of that is obviously him making strides as a passer… but it's also him simply making the offense more dynamic. Trading for Jonathan Taylor to combine one of the best backs in the NFL with arguably the most dynamic rushing quarterback in the league would be a phenomenal start to that.
David Montomgery's offseason departure in free agency has left the Bears with Khalil Herbert, D'Onta Foreman and rookie Roschon Johnson on the depth chart at the position. Not a single one of those players would stand in the way of Taylor.
But even better, Taylor would come cheap for a team rich with draft capital after this past offseason and, if they need to hit reset on Fields, they could allow him to hit free agency and get the deal he wants elsewhere. It's a win-win for the best way to evaluate the quarterback and the team's core while also having flexibility to pivot if things don't work out should they make this trade.
1. Kansas City Chiefs could flex on the NFL with a Jonathan Taylor trade
The Kansas City Chiefs trading for Jonathan Taylor would be the nuclear option on the table. But it's hard not to at least consider it.
After what we saw last season, there is every reason to believe that Brett Veach and Andy Reid are completely confident that a combination of Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon — with some other carries sprinkled in — can create an effective run game, especially behind this Chiefs offensive line.
But when you're a team in the catbird position at the start of a potential dynasty, though, there is always the chance that Kansas City could try to make their lives even easier. Trading for Taylor would undoubtedly accomplish that.
In the simplest terms, despite all of the success that Patrick Mahomes and this offense have enjoyed over the years, they've never had a truly dynamic and special talent at running back in the way that Taylor could be for them. They tried by drafting Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the first round after their first Super Bowl win, but that was a whiff on their part.
Taylor, meanwhile, has a proven track record despite playing in an undeniably worse situation with the Colts than he'd find himself in with the Chiefs. This could absolutely change the calculus for Kansas City and the NFL.
While it's definitely not a priority (nor should it be), it's a wild card option that, in terms of fit and the potentialy effects, could make sense should it actually transpire.