Colts reach a 3-year, $42 million extension with RB Jonathan Taylor

The Indianapolis Colts have reached a three-year, $42 million contract extension with their Pro Bowl running back Jonathan Taylor, with $26.5 million in guaranteed money, ESPN reported on Saturday.

This deal made Taylor the first running back with a long-term contract that will pay him $10 million or more per year since Nick Chubb in 2021. It is not perfect, but better than what others in this position got when running backs complained about not being treated fairly during the offseason.

Taylor was one of those running backs and he requested the Colts to trade him, which didn’t happen. He was placed on the physically unable to perform list.

Now that Taylor and the Colts reached the extension, he was removed from that least. Since he has no injury designation, Taylor should be able to play against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Sunday.

“I greatly appreciate the support of my teammates and Colts fans,” Taylor said in a statement. “I can’t wait to get back on the field and do everything I can to help bring this city the championship it deserves. I’m proud to be an Indianapolis Colt.”

Having played three seasons in the National Football League (NFL), Taylor tallied 3,841 rushing yards and 33 rushing touchdowns with 756 carries in 43 games. During the 2021 campaign, he was the league’s rushing yards (1,811) and touchdowns (18) leader. He was selected into both the Pro Bowl and the First-team All-Pro that season.

“It’s been a journey,” Jim Irsay, owner of the Colts, said. “Jonathan and I talked about this contract and being able to live with it for four years. … He was good with that and understood that. It was difficult because it’s a player coming off an injury. I know these things can get difficult, but Jonathan’s a great young man.”

The Colts are 2-2, alongside three other teams: the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Houston Texans and the Tennessee Titans in the American Football Conference South.

“If he plays on Sunday, obviously [it will be] the first time getting hit in a while,” the Colts’ head coach Shane Steichen said of Taylor. “But again, he did a good job running the football, seeing the holes. Shoot, he’s a veteran player. He’s played a lot of football and he looked good.”