ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler: What the Colts Want in Return for RB Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor is still a Colt, and ESPN's Jeremy Fowler told Rich exactly why. Indianapolis wants more for him than anyone has been willing to pay.

"I checked with somebody with the Colts, and I was told that interim GM Ed Dodds does not want to trade Jonathan Taylor unless a team is willing to give up more than they should," Fowler said on The Rich Eisen Show. "And that's sort of the rub right now."

The Price Gap

The gap is easy to describe. Teams Fowler talked to believe the Colts want the equivalent of a first-round pick. Those teams think Taylor is worth "more like a second-round pick and some change, or two plus."

The question, Fowler said, is whether someone goes over the top before Tuesday's deadline. That could change once Sunday's games are played. "The Colts could certainly soften a little bit," he said.

The interested parties include the New York Giants, who "seem inclined to make some sort of splash, whether it's with a running back or defensive tackle," though they're short on mid-round picks. Fowler said the Broncos and Vikings have also been involved to an extent, "but nobody's been willing to just meet that price and get it over the top right now. That's why he's still a Colt."

Keeping him wouldn't be ideal for a team tearing things down, Fowler said, but Taylor "is a boon for the next coaching staff, whether that's Shane Steichen's staff and he remains, or it's somebody else."

The Jets Aren't Selling

Rich turned to the Jets, who hold three projected top-10 picks but are heading into Kansas City with Breece Hall coming back from a quad injury and Garrett Wilson ruled out.

Fowler said this year's Jets are different. "The Jets a year ago were firm sellers. Right now, I'm told they are not firm sellers," he said. At 2-6, they want to ride it out, build confidence and get wins. With good young pieces and those draft picks, "they are loaded up for the next 12 months to get pretty good if they can get the quarterback situation resolved," though he added that Geno Smith "is playing admirably well right now."

Would they listen on Hall? Probably, but they don't plan to trade him, and they want to go into the game with both Hall and Braelon Allen. Fowler wondered if a team that can't land Taylor pivots and offers a lot for Hall.

A Weekend Deadline

Rich asked for the timeline, and Fowler expects news Monday morning. It's been a slow week, he said, with multiple GMs telling him teams are still feeling out prices. Some expected sellers aren't selling: the 0-7 Chargers haven't indicated they want to sell, and the 2-6 Jets aren't either.

Fowler expects "some wink wink deals" along the lines of, "Hey, let's get through the week and see if what we need still stands."

Receiver is where some of that could shake out. Josh Downs has made clear he wants out of Indianapolis, with Kansas City and Pittsburgh among the teams that have checked in.

Jacksonville as the Pivot Point

Then there's Brian Thomas in Jacksonville. The Jaguars have said they don't want to trade him and would rather add than subtract, since they're looking for a big-ticket defensive lineman.

But Fowler noted Thomas played around 19 snaps with no catches in the previous night's win, his fourth straight week without one. "I think he wants out at this point," Fowler said. Could Jacksonville package him to land a defensive tackle? "Jacksonville, just conveniently last night having a big win, they're also a big pivot point in this trade deadline, in my opinion."

The Biggest Name to Move

Rich asked for a dart throw, with a promise to replay it if right and forget it if wrong. Fowler stayed with Taylor.

"I still think he's probably the biggest name, where I'm probably at 50 to 60 percent with it," he said. "It's not a complete slam dunk to get done, but I think somebody will step up." He didn't see Derrick Henry or Breece Hall moving. "So I'll still say Jonathan Taylor for now."