After trade speculation, Colts RB Jonathan Taylor ‘moving on’ to get ready for Miami

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - SEPTEMBER 27: Jonathan Taylor #28 of the Indianapolis Colts runs the ball for a first down during the third quarter of the game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 27, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The NFL's Tuesday trade deadline came and went, and while other longstanding veteran pillars of the franchise were dealt, Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor somewhat surprisingly remained.

Now, the consensus national reporting leading up to the last 72 hours or so before the trade deadline was that unless the Colts were blown away' by either a Christian McCaffrey'-esque trade package or even a first round pick in an offer for Taylor, that their star workhorse would remain in Indianapolis.

That being said, when Taylor was asked whether he wanted to be traded, after seeing All-Pro teammates Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner both recently moved elsewhere, he was rather vague on Thursday in his answer-only responding that he was focusing and getting ready to play the Miami Dolphins at home this weekend:

#Colts RB Jonathan Taylor was asked if he wanted to be traded Tuesday, but he didn't give a clear answer.

Just regular scheduled programming Tuesday. It's all water under the bridge now. That's why I was excited to come see you guys ... (and) talk about the Miami Dolphins." pic.twitter.com/AnYwgDwjTs

- James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) November 12, 2026

While Taylor had previously indicated that he wanted to retire as a member of the Colts before signing a contract extension in early August, and that he had not requested a trade only a few weeks ago, it's unclear if his mindset or desires changed once the Colts began a fire sale two weeks ago-and have now launched their ongoing rebuild.

On the season, Taylor has 161 carries for 656 total rushing yards (4.1 ypc. avg.) and 8 rushing touchdowns during all 9 starts. He is currently the Colts franchise's all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (77) and trails only Hall of Famer Edgerrin James as the organization's career rushing yards (8,254) and carries (1,712) leader respectively.

Even though Taylor remained a Colts for the remainder of the 2026 campaign, it'll be interesting to see if he still is a member of the franchise this offseason-especially closer to the NFL Draft next spring.

While he's the Colts best player right now and remains an elite Top 5 player at the running back position, it's a fair question with turning 28-years-old in January of whether he still has the prime career longevity left to outlast an Indianapolis rebuild that could (ideally) take only 2-3 years to complete if all goes to according to plan.

As it relates to Miami defending Taylor, they're exactly an average run stopping defense, coming in at 16th league-wide with opposing offenses averaging 111.8 total rushing yards per game.