“It sucks!” Colts GM Chris Ballard gets candid on Jonathan Taylor’s situation amid turmoil in Indianapolis camp

Chris Ballard is looking forward to mending the Indianapolis Colts relationship with Jonathan Taylor.

“It sucks!” Colts GM Chris Ballard gets candid on Jonathan Taylor’s situation amid turmoil in Indianapolis camp

Chris Ballard addresses Jonathan Taylor issue (Image via IMAGO)

The Indianapolis Colts failed to sign Jonathan Taylor before the August 29 deadline for finalizing their 53-man roster for the NFL season. So, they had to put the running back on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list for the same ankle issue that forced him to miss training camp. General Manager Chris Ballard spoke about the situation, calling it unfortunate.

Taylor was seeking a raise in his contract, as are most of the running backs in the league. Similar to their situation, the 24-year-old was holding out until there was a green light from the Colts front office. But they were unwilling to meet his demands and told him to look for a new home until this Tuesday.

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Unfortunately, Taylor was not able to accomplish that task. His ending up on the PUP means the former round 2 pick would miss four match weeks in the upcoming season. “It sucks for the Colts, it sucks for Jonathan Taylor, and it sucks for fans,” Ballard told the reporters yesterday.

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But he assured that they are working towards repairing their relationship. “Relationships are repairable,” he continued. “We’re going to do everything we can to work through it,” he added.

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There’s still a question mark on Jonathan Taylor’s contract

Jonathan Taylor
Jonathan Taylor (via Imago)

Taylor’s saga began when Colts owner Jim Irsay criticized the NFL running backs stand on devaluation, including adjusting the franchise tag to remove position-specific pay scales. This proves that they haven’t engaged in contract talks with the player.

Few teams were interested in Taylor, who had produced a career-high of 1811 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns in 2021. The following year, his ankle only limited him to 11 matches. But he still put up a respectable 861 yards with 28 receptions and four touchdowns.

Reports suggest that the Miami Dolphins and the Green Bay Packers took a chance. However, the Colts alleged outrageous trading demands turned them away. Dolphins GM Chris Grier even called the discussion exploratory. Jonathan Taylor’s agent, Malki Kawa, expressed frustration at Irsay’s disinterest in letting his client go.

Chris Ballard, on the other hand, tried to damage control, saying Taylor is on the PUP list because of his ankle, not his contract. He confirmed that the Wisconsin graduate will rehab at the Colts facility, as per NFL.com. But that does not mean their relationship is suddenly fixed. It only suggests that they need to find common ground.

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