With Saquon Barkley resolving his franchise tag situation and Josh Jacobs unable to sign more than a one-year deal this season, the running back market will now focus on potential future extensions, most notably that of the Indianapolis Colts' Jonathan Taylor.
Entering the final year of his rookie contract, set to earn $4.304 million in base salary, Taylor reported to Colts training camp with teammates on Tuesday. He was placed on the physically unable to perform list after undergoing surgery on his right ankle in January.
While Taylor sits out to start camp, his contract situation remains under scrutiny. The former NFL leading rusher has been one of the vocal players decrying the diminishing running back market.
High-priced veterans like Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook have been jettisoned. Miles Sanders' four-year, $25.4 million contract was the richest for a free agent. The breaking point for backs came when Barkley, Jacobs and Tony Pollard failed to strike long-term deals before the franchise tag deadline.
All that puts Taylor's negotiations in the spotlight.
"The market is what the market is," Colts general managers Chris Ballard said on Tuesday when asked about the state of running back contracts, via The Athletic. "But saying that, like I've always told you, you pay good players. You pay guys that are gonna help you win, regardless of the position. We think very highly of Jonathan. ... We think that'll play out over time and work out the way it should either way."
The question is not how highly the club thinks of its top back but how much those thoughts turn into cash.
Taylor is a workhorse, rushing for 3,841 yards on 756 carries with 33 touchdowns in three seasons. In 2021, he led the NFL with 1,811 rushing yards, 18 rushing TDs and 332 carries. Unfortunately for Taylor, he's coming off an injury-plagued campaign, in which he missed six games and rushed for career lows of 861 yards, 4 TDs and 192 carries. It's not a great time for negotiating leverage.
The 24-year-old is a dynamite running back with home-run ability. The question is whether the Colts are willing to re-inflate a shriveling RB market or keep with the current trend of suppressing the position's value.
"We had long talks back in May and June," Ballard said of Taylor. "We'll have another one here (Tuesday)."
How Taylor's situation plays out is the next stepping stone for the running back position. With the ability to wield the affordable RB franchise tag on Taylor the next two years, the Colts currently own the leverage.
