Disgruntled Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor recently asked and was given permission by the organization to seek a trade. Naturally, because it’s the Philadelphia thing to do, Birds’ fans took to any form of media begging and pleading to bring the Salem, NJ native home. The sports radio airwaves have been inundated with the idea of adding the former All-Pro running back to an already crowded running back room. But it was simply conjecture and bloviating, until a report from NFL Analysis Network’s Evan Macy (a guy with 24.5K followers on Twitter X) suggested the Eagles and Colts were in “serious” negotiations.
REPORT: #Eagles discussing Jonathan Taylor trade with #Colts. #NFL https://t.co/4TbXjpO6Jv
— Evan Massey (@massey_evan) August 23, 2023
Massey has written for multiple sports and entertainment outlets including Forbes, Bleacher Report, Yahoo!, and ESPN, according to his LinkedIn profile. For what it’s worth, none of the “major” insiders in the NFL world like Ian Rapoport or Adam Schefter have reported something similar. That doesn’t mean Massey’s “source” is wrong, but it means take it with a grain of salt. Schefter did drop a nugget, via ESPN’s Stephen Holder, that six teams have approached the Colts about Taylor and two have reportedly made offers. Who knows?!
What we do know is Taylor and the Colts have a deadline of Tuesday, August 29 to find a trade partner or they will move on to the 2023-24 NFL regular season. The Colts reportedly want a first round draft pick in exchange for the former Pro Bowl running back. That’s a steep price for a 24-year-old running back that’s coming off a season riddled with ankle issues. Another issue that has been reported in the Taylor-Colts trade saga is the running backs apparent contract demands. A Colts team source told Schefter, “the contract he is expecting is a challenge.”
So, back to the Birds. Were the Eagles one of the six teams that inquired about Taylor? Probably, after all the two clubs were engaged in some serious hand-to-hand combat earlier this week. Perhaps Birds’ GM Howie Roseman, sensing a moment of vulnerability, tried to swoop in and acquire Taylor for a bag of footballs or something. But seriously, the Colts are in town for a Thursday night preseason game so it would make sense for Roseman to at least ask about Taylor.
Current Philadelphia Eagles Betting Odds
| Philadelphia Eagles Prop Bets | Odds | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles to Win the Super Bowl | +800 |  |
| Philadelphia Eagles to win the National Football Conference | +260 | |
Would it be surprising if Taylor is wearing Eagles’ green by opening day? No, nothing with Roseman is surprising anymore, but the chances of the Eagles using a first-round pick on a running back that likely won’t be here is slim and none. But hey, maybe Roseman will do some more of his wizardry stuff and acquire Taylor for a sixth-round pick and a gift card from the famous Salem Oak Diner
Until then, calm down and take a deep breath, and take any rumor about the Eagles acquiring Taylor with a massive grain of salt.
