Why the Colts Should Cut Bait and Just Trade RB Jonathan Taylor

It was the Monday before trade deadline day, the end of hour one of The Rich Eisen Show, and Jonathan Taylor was still a Colt. To Rich, that said one thing. Indianapolis hasn't gotten the offer it wants.

And he thinks it's time to stop waiting.

The Giants' Offer That Disappeared

Rich pointed to a report that the Giants had put a second-round pick and change on the table for Taylor, then rescinded it. Normally, he explained, a team rescinds an offer "because they know somebody else has beaten it," and they don't want to look like they've been rejected.

So who could step in? Someone at the desk said, "Man, I want Green Bay to do this so bad."

Rich saw the logic. Josh Jacobs with an injured finger is one thing, but Jacobs with "the long arm of the law potentially coming to reach for him" is another risk. "That's one thing you'll never have to worry about with Jonathan Taylor, one would think," Rich said. And there'd be a bonus: "Hey, Badgers fans, here's one of the best you've ever seen."

Other Fits

The conversation ran through more landing spots. Cincinnati is very pass heavy, and Taylor would cut into Chase Brown's touches, "but there'd be a reason for it," and a room with Brown, Perine and Taylor is "not too shabby." Denver has RJ Harvey on IR, and anybody with JK Dobbins in a fantasy league is wondering what's going on there. Seattle's name has been mentioned too.

Taylor's Farewell?

In case the loss to Dallas was his last game in Indianapolis, Taylor spoke about the city in a way that sounded like a goodbye.

"I think you play every game like it's your last," Taylor said. "But at the end of the day, this has been a spot where I grew up. You go to college, you're a young man, but you really grew up. You started a family and you really embraced this city, the people, and you're just like, 'This place helped shape me into the man I am today.' So I'm very grateful."

Asked what he hopes fans remember most, Taylor said, "I just hope that they appreciate and know that I appreciate them, and it was a pleasure to put on display not only my hard work but the team's hard work each and every single week, each and every single year."

Stop Playing Chicken

One voice at the desk put it plainly: give Indianapolis what it wants and "stop playing the game of chicken." The case for a buyer was simple. Taylor is that good, and he's still under contract. "This is not just a one and done here."

Someone else noted Taylor looked a little pedestrian in the loss to Dallas, and he did fumble at one point. Still, the advice for the Giants was to put the offer back on the table, though Rich wondered whether New York was playing chicken or really meant "we're done here."

The Colts Are Done

Rich's closing argument was about Indianapolis itself. "The bottom line is this: the Colts are done for the year. They're done. I'm sorry to say it," he said. "They have two wins entering week 10."

They held on to Taylor for two weeks. They held on to Daniel Jones, who apparently has been told he isn't going anywhere. "Then what do they have to show for it?" Rich asked. "Competitive losses? Not even that." He called the Jacksonville game "a total embarrassment, a wipeout."

And winning games after the deadline doesn't help them. It would only hurt the Jets, who own Indianapolis' first-round pick. "You don't have a one. Get your one," Rich said. "That's what they're trying to do."

For the team that lands Taylor, Rich sees a stretch-run boost and more. It could invigorate a locker room, or revitalize one that needs it. "And then you get him for forever more," Rich said, "and you get a guy who feels this way about your spot."