Colts RB Jonathan Taylor is entering the final year of the extension he signed in 2023. The Athletic’s James Boyd suggests Taylor could, and should, hold in at training camp by reporting but not practicing. Taylor hasn’t indicated yet that he’d be willing to go that far, but the concern grows the longer a new deal takes.
What They're Saying
James Boyd, The Athletic: “Perhaps he and the Colts can reach an amicable agreement in these two weeks leading up to training camp. If they can’t — third contracts between a running back and the teams that draft them are pretty rare — Taylor should not hesitate to revisit a tactic that drove most of the Colts front office and Indy’s fanbase crazy. Taylor should hold in.”
Jonathan Taylor: “Just understanding that, hey, some people are gonna run with some of the media narratives, some people won’t. Just know that true Indianapolis Colts fans, they’ll be able to see through the weeds and understand exactly what’s going on and not just believe everything that they read.”
2026 Fantasy Football Impact
Taylor didn’t hold in three years ago when he pushed for a new contract, but Boyd argues this time could be different.
Taylor is three years older now, and with franchise QB Daniel Jones still recovering from the torn right Achilles he suffered last season, the Colts could lean on Taylor early.
Boyd also notes that rookie seventh-round pick Seth McGowan and 2025 fifth-round pick DJ Giddens, who had just 96 rushing yards in nine games last year, are jockeying for the backup role. Neither inspires much confidence as a fill-in lead back.
A hold in (or hold out) wouldn’t necessarily destroy Taylor’s ability to perform this season, but any additional risk factors with his first-round ADP are scary. The best case scenario is that Taylor signs a new deal very soon and can come into training camp full-go.
Contract or not, we still have concerns about Taylor’s 2026 performance because a struggling Colts offense with Jones recovering from his achilles injury could hurt his scoring chances.
Taylor’s injury history remains a concern despite a 17-game season last year. He also missed three games in 2024, giving him four seasons with 2+ games lost to injury in his six-year career.
That’s not a reason to pass on Taylor, but it’s worth keeping in mind after two straight 300+ carry seasons.
Taylor also can’t match the receiving profiles of the three RBs joining him at the top of the ADP board (Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson, and Christian McCaffrey).
