Do you recall where you were on Nov. 9, 2025?
I actually do as after eating a bountiful breakfast l settled into a comfortable chair to observe the Indianapolis Colts play the Atlanta Falcons in a regular season contest played in Germany.
I previously had written that the Falcons, in my opinion, were a tough match-up for the Colts so obviously l was interested in seeing what unfolded as l sat wrapped in a blanket with two unimpressed canines.
What transpired was the exact outcome l had talked about in the week leading up to the game, which was an opponent who could both run and throw the ball with a level of proficiency that could beat a number of NFL teams.
The Colts obviously had a strategy that day and his name was Jonathan Taylor, and after the smoke had finally cleared, his gutty performance was the difference in an overtime game making the long plane ride home even more tolerable. Taylor carried the ball 32 times for 244 yards and three touchdowns, including five straight rushes to close out the game for the winning score, and reminded everyone that day you could make a case for him being as good as any running back in the National Football League.
When the 2025 injury-plagued season concluded for the Colts, Taylor missed a rushing title by a mere 36 yards, while leading the NFL with 20 touchdowns in a year that should’ve warranted some consideration for the NFL MVP, which typically is an award for quarterbacks and not great runners.
Entering the last year of his contract in 2026, it seemed logical for his employer to get an extension that both parties could live with done before training camp began, but that hasn’t happened and Taylor reported to camp on time and in good physical shape, politely professing his agent would take care of it, as if all is actually well.
The reality is there is a cloud over the situation and each day it continues the chances for a rather damaging storm improve dramatically, be it the Colts running the risk of their best player sustaining further bruising of his ego or even worse, an injury before the extension Taylor has rightfully earned is signed.
While these matters can become cat and mouse games, the Colts are for some reason playing with a flame that could become a raging blaze if they choose to leave it unattended longer.
With Atlanta’s Pro Bowl running back Bijan Robinson recently signing a three-year deal averaging just over $22 million, the market has shifted upwardly even more so and Taylor should have even more leverage with a team that has so many obvious concerns on offense.
Clearly, he’s earned the extension he’s seeking as he heads into the final year of a deal that will pay him just over $14 million, and with Colts General Manager Chris Ballard recently stating Taylor is in a “good place,” the real question is why hasn’t he received the offer he deserves before another brutal season of NFL football begins in less than a month?
The clock indeed is ticking and doesn’t favor the home team to delay it any further.
Taylor is their best player in my opinion, so it’s now time to pay him at least half of what they gave a seriously injured Daniel Stephen Jones. That’s at least twenty plus million dollars a year. While you’re at it, guarantee two years of that money as well, with a team option for a third year to simply add good measure, with a fair buyout of the last year to protect both Taylor and the team.
The Colts have the money and certainly understand how these things work.
While I’m not an NFL personnel expert, it does seem like it’s time to break out the checkbook to me.Danny Bridges, who thinks Jonathan Taylor is as good as any running back in the NFL, can be reached at (317) 370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com.
Danny Bridges is an award-winning journalist and a longtime sports columnist for the Indianapolis Recorder. He covers college, professional sports and especially all things IndyCar racing. He can be reached at 317-370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com.
