I think a lot of that depends on whether the Colts believe JT is still the high character guy they thought he was when they drafted him. Money changes people, and having his weasel agent whispering in his ear is not helping! I don't know all the details, I doubt any of us do, but with what I know now, if I was the Colts I'm not sure I would want this guy after this season!

Hahaha

Make the contract dependent on incentives so some of his money is tied to his performance.

Probably defeats the purpose as far as Taylor is concerned, right?

Right

I think this article is spot on, fair to both sides but in the end realistic about the Colts dilemma.

https://www.si.com/nfl/colts/news/jo...contract-trade

FTA:
Running the ball is important today with the two-high shell looks defenses are running. But the run game depends on so many people as a whole that the actual running back is only a part of that. Scheme, numbers, and offensive line are all things I think about when it comes to how well you're able to run the ball. If those things are done right, you can place any running back in there and have solid numbers.

Would they be Jonathan Taylor? Absolutely not. But could they give you 80% of his production for only a tenth of the cost? Probably, and it seems like that is a bet the Colts are willing to make.

You would have to guarantee a good portion of it, probably what he would have made if tagged for two years. Man has earned it and is worth it. Both sides have a point. If JT gets hurt this year he is in the same shoes as Marlon Mack was-and I don't think that is fair. He has given three years to us, is incredibly valuable and we have the cap space. Each side needs to eat some crow and give a little. Maybe I just want to see JT and AR in the same backfield, both of them sell tickets.

Is Taylor's picture/mural still hanging on the outside of Lucas Oil Stadium? I can't seem to find who is on it now. Last pics I saw were TY and Buckner. One of you locals keep an eye out for Taylor coming down if he is indeed out there.

Google search has become pretty much crap in recent years.

Ummm Holder just said that the trade demand DID NOT happen post Irsay meeting- that meeting was instead an attempt by Jim to get Taylor to walk back his TRADE DEMAND ON THE FIRST DAY OF CAMP!

Wow, and with that, it's officially FU JT time. That would indicate he took this position BEFORE the RB Zoom call. That would say he wasn't cajoled into this role, that would indicate this dude is just belly aching about the status of the RB pay scale. Well dude, as Dungy said, it sucks, but that's what the pay scale is for your role right now.

Sit him out, let him rot, suck suck suck, 3-14 and Marvin Harrison JR with pick # 3 and restart this whole MF'er!

well that is a little much but i get it

but also in all of this, irsay really needs to shut up. let ballard handle things with the team.

Story gets more disappointing each day. As for the bold... I could go more for an unexpected '95 or '12 run instead.

"I'm for wasting sportswriters' time. So I figured we ought to hang around for a while and see if we can give 'em all a nice big shitburger to eat!"

I see both sides of the argument. JT carried this offense a lot, he sat and watched other guys get paid at non premium positions early. Extensions for Darius, Q, Smith, Kelly, Grover etc. Also hearing from the staff we take care of our guys, we sign our own etc. So yeah when his time has rolled around it’s crickets. So I understand that it seems unfair, that it’s not what it should be. It sucks, but he is not in a good spot with zero leverage. Going to have to be realistic that RBs are undervalued in todays’s NFL.

Don’t think this agent is helping either. Seems like a moron.

Another thing that is kinda going unnoticed though is the fact Pittman hasn’t received a deal either. I think it’s more a coaching switch than anything. New sheriff in town and guys have to prove themselves in this new system. Steichen needs to see you as a guy that will work in his system. Think a lot of ppl are missing that fact.

Somewhere I read that Ballard had informed players they were not doing extensions this off-season until they see how players are fit with the new scheme.

Mark Schlereth earlier slightly butt-hurt Rich Eisen with his market capitalist take. He didn't give a shit about the plight of RBs. Said none of them were on a podium or having meetings when the fullback position was going extinct. Funny point but shows the nature of the market/game.

Other interesting part was a reminder that his Broncos in the late 90's/early 00's kind of popularized the notion of RBs being replaceable. I hadn't thought about those guys in a while...

Terrell Davis to Olandis Gary to Mike Anderson to Clinton Portis to Reuben Droughns then back to Mike Anderson... 1500yd backs were the running joke about Shanahans Broncos. But RB by committee was also in full force. For example, when Anderson got another shot to start, he barely cracked 1000... But DEN had almost 2600yds rushing that season.

I’m also hearing rumblings that JT was unhappy with the way his injury was treated last season but at this point it just seems like sour grapes.

Seems like he’s just throwing anything out there to try and make himself look better.

I think it was Holder who was saying this.

I think it is too late to salvage this relationship....but it really sucks that we lose JT when he can be such an explosive player. Does anybody think there is a solution to this that results in JT remaining a Colt beyond this season?

Yes, by paying him what he wants for 3 years. Which has a lot of risks attached to it for the Colts.

In my opinion he is the best pure running back in the league, but he is not as versatile in the passing game as others, so shouldn't be paid the sums of money that the likes of McCaffrey or Kamara have been paid.

The biggest quandary I can see for the Colts, is that with Richardson at QB and the growing pains he is likely to go through, Taylor is far more valuable to the Colts than he is to most other franchises.

Perhaps it's irreparable. Although we have seen other ugly situations to varying degrees where the player ultimately stays with their team. People are forgiving. Kenny Moore, for example, wasn't anywhere near this ugly and still a lot of people thought he was done with the Colts. We'll see.

That said, it would have to almost exclusively come from JT and Co. conceding that reality is not on their side. I would hope for some semblance of a united front from the owners/GM's where they look at past examples like Le'Veon Bell, Deshaun Watson, and Lamar Jackson, and don't cave in to this type of thing.

Hopefully make Taylor realize that his best option all along was to bust his ass here in '23 and let the chips fall where they may. Whether that means a new deal here or in FA... or if that means a $13m franchise tag in '24 before he gets a new deal.

Whatever it is, it's better than this for him.

You want to send a message to his pain in the ass agent, put him on the NFI list and sign either Cook or Elliot, then use the franchise tag on him next year. I'm tired reading about these multi million dollar a year athletes complaining about not being paid enough!!

The thing that gets me is that he's injured and still under contract. What else should he expect? The whole thing makes no sense but, hey, it's the Colts. We've gotten used to things not making sense in recent years.

Man there is something to be said for this- and also hearing the rumors of JT being "unhappy" about his injury...

WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH THIS FRANCHISE?

The other day JMV as asking someone- think it might have been Bowen, if this is just a toxic workplace. Whoever it was responded back with the "that's a bit too strong of a word but there's definitely something not quite right on 56th Street".

Well, and yes I am a hater, without question I am, but is the problem fucking Ballard? Timeline matches up.

Peyton - Wayne era, even despite the James situation, and even in the face of the overwhelming difficulty of the Peyton neck situation- the TEAM was harmonious; seemed like everyone was on the same page. Hell even in the Grigson era it didn't seem like there was this constant level of fucking noise around the team, just bad personnel and coaching decisions.

It's always made me wonder- why did Philip just up and quit football? Had a really good season, had a team that looked like it could have made a run that next year, would have been paid a tidy sum, nope, just gonna quit. Hines, Gilmore and it appears Okereke to a lesser extent all made it apparent they wanted to leave this team. Let's not forget, Ballard is also responsible for saying they looked at like 30 minutes of film on Ryan and determined he still had it (wtf- why is he still here????).

Is it just his fixation on "his boys" that is causing a bunch of this? And is Jim's over-reaching last year and now clearly way too fucking far into this shit, a reflection on Ballard just being a stooge and Irsay having to act because Ballard is a GM in name only?

Whatever is the fuel behind this, and I am not in the camp that it is Jim just given some of the past work- with a guy like Edge asking him to do is invocation and rolling with him to the podium- man I just have a hard time believing this is Jim's doings. Whatever it is, this shit needs to be rooted out and gotten rid of. This franchise is better than this petty shit that's been going around here the last several years.

and here is the worst sports fan take in the world.

the owners are making billions. do you know the difference between a billion and a million?

JT is one of the best in the world at his position. not a lot of people can do what he does as good or better than him. he is in an argument about his value. faulting him for that is dumb. the way he is handling it is stupid but him wanting to make as much money as he can is smart.

lack of winning and very poor leadership is my guess. i think reich was a good football coach but it doesn't seem to me like he was a great leader. who are the actual team leaders? Leonard? yeah right

Yeah there's definitely been a void. Hopefully AR rapidly ascends to that role. Certainly seems to have that work ethic that establishes a foundation of accountability- which is a great start.

This is, and has been, a huge issue. I think Buckner is the only leader on the whole team. Need more than that.

Pat today said things are easing up a bit. Maybe a little progress has been made.

https://twitter.com/patmcafeeshow/st...L8ardaxv32vrGQ

CMC and kamara are more versatile and can impact across the league. Things out JT though is he can break that big run at any time. It really hurts that two deep shell and FA force them into single deep to defend him. Then you have AR as a runner. I think he stays eventually.

o


"Shaquille O'Neal is rich ,,,,,, the white man that signs his paycheck is wealthy."


Chris Rock, 2003

o

That is the problem with most sports fans. They see everything as black and white, where one side is right and the other is wrong. The problem with that is that both sides are right and wrong at the same time. JT is a rare RB, but that position is devalued at the present. When you have a JT, though, you need to see what a game-changer he is and act accordingly. Yes, Irsay was right about "bad faith", but he was wrong to say it at a time when his RB is looking for an extension. JT is right that he deserves an extension, but he is wrong to ask for it when he has not passed his physical.

People should get what they can, I cannot blame JT for that. Me, I don't feel bad for either of these whiny pricks. One guy is a billionaire who did zilch to earn it and the other guy is complaining that 4.3 million isn't enough money for someone who also did zilch to be born with genetics that almost nobody on the planet has and thinks he 'earned' every penny. They are both here because they won the lottery when they were born (agreed Irsay won a bigger one but JT got gifts from god that people would give their left nut for). I am not pissed at them or anything-I would be doing close to the same thing if I was in their position. I just don't give a shit (I want JT on the team but won't lose any sleep either way) and think that words like 'right and wrong' have almost no place to me with this cat fight between these two (although I have honored every contract I have signed, even though I was stupid and signed some really bad ones that cost me money). My bet is after all of this crap plays out JT is running the ball for the Colts this year and into the future.

Winning makes a harmonious team. When a team wins 13-14 games a year, people shut up and appreciate what they got. Losing results in some finger pointing.

Irsay needs to respond to any questions about contracts as, “no comment”.

Irsay needs to shut up and let the GM handle it.

I'll preface by saying JT's ankle might be fucked and impact his season. I also suppose JT and Co. could use his ankle as an excuse in the future so he gets his $4.3m and his UFA status without actually playing. I would think the legal fiasco that would cause between JT, the Colts, the doctors, and the union would keep even the dickheads representing JT from pursuing... of course we did just see Lamar Jackson in a dubious injury situation last year amid his contract issues.

But assume that's off the table and his ankle gets healthy. The realistic outcomes for the next few seasons as I see them are:


2023 - JT has to play for us. The only way he can leave is if the Colts trade him or place an RFA tender on him which doesn't seem likely.
If he suits up, I believe human nature, the competitiveness, and the comradery take over for everyone and it flows through the season with the contract on the backburner.

2024 - Assuming JT had a good '23, he could earn an extension offer. Knowing Ballard, it probably won't be what JT wants today. He could trade him, but the Colts probably make out better if they franchise him. They either keep a great player for a relatively cheap RB Tag... or they let him sign an offer from another team and scoop up two 1st-round picks which is more than they would've gotten in any trade.

2025 - I couldn't guess here with all the previous variables... but while a Year-2 FT would be more expensive, it still would be relatively cheap for RB's. So I could see the Colts possibly trying to use it again if JT's been healthy/productive. In which case, repeat of '24: He either signs an extension going into his age-26 season, gives us one more season under the FT, or another team signs him and we get two 1st-round picks.


Beyond that, the FT becomes retarded where the pay is based on the top 5 QB's salaries. But JT is either extended or gone long before this point anyway.

The question to me is, if JT has a great/very good 2023, will the Colts give him an extension? If that is their intention why not sit down with him and make that clear (if they haven't already). Maybe even include some benchmarks and say if you reach these goals we will will offer you a very fair extension and negotiate in good faith!

At some point, unless the Colts don't really have long term plans for JT, they are going to have to make it clear to him that they value him greatly as a player and provided he can stay healthy and reach some agreed upon goals he will receive at least an offer of a very fair and market based extension! That is how most of us get raises or promotions in our work. If he has a great or very good 2023, I just think franchising him is unfair, they should at least make him a fair offer based on his market value....he can choose to reject it, but I believe an offer should be made!

All 'fair' means is 'I like it' and 'unfair' just means I don't like it. Is it 'fair' to ignore a contract that you play under? It is totally 'fair' to franchise him, that is the rules he freely chose to follow when he signed his contract. I have zero sympathy for some kid who is going to make 14 million dollars over the next few years if he stays healthy. It is obscene to bitch about that kind of money when so many have next to nothing. Again fight for as much as you can, we do live in a capitalistic country, but stop whining like you are being insulted because you are underpaid. Get some perspective on life.

To me fair means, making an offer that is based on market value and added or subtracted intangibles. Not some bullshit low ball offer like a used car salesman! An offer that JT might reject but not be offended by...anyway, if the Colts have no intention of offering him an extension, regardless of how well he plays this season, then it doesn't even matter....and that is what I think JT believes is going to happen and he is trying to get out ahead of it!

Hell, the 2023 franchise tag for the RB position pays $10.09M. I imagine it will increase a bit for the 2024 season. All Taylor needs to do is play and make it to next season and he'll make more than double his current wages by being tagged. It's $6M less than McCafferty, but Taylor isn't as good as him, so it's about the right amount. This is useless drama.

I actually kind of agree with this, but it doesn't really matter if we think 10 million should be plenty for JT, he believes he is worth more and now the question is, how do the Colts go forward with a very unhappy player. I think there are some things they can do to at least get a productive year out of him, just saying to him that the "RB franchise money should be enough for you, so be happy", and that only if you have a great season, is probably not going to produce the maximum effort out of JT this season.