Jonathan Taylor is actively having negotiations with the Colts on a 3rd contract with the team, one that would pay him handsomely once his current deal expires after this upcoming season. After previous reports suggested that Jonathan Taylor would be a hold in during Training Camp, he reported fully on the first day of camp with a very positive update regarding his negotiations.
All signs point to the Colts and Taylor’s camp having productive conversations and could reach an agreement prior to the 2026 season. Taylor himself has repeatedly expressed his desire to be a Colt for life, and the Colts themselves seem eager to keep their All Time Rushing TD leader and reigning 2025 TD leader (and likely soon-to-be All Time Rushing Yards Leader with another 1628 yards on the ground).
So what could the deal look like?
Currently Jonathan Taylor is on a 3 year, $42 million deal. He ranks 8th in Total Contract Value, 7th in Average Annual Value ($14 million per year), and 9th in Total Guarantees.
For 2026 Jonathan Taylor has the highest Cap Hit in the NFL among RBs at $15.56 million, but by 2027 that number will be eclipsed by Christian McCaffrey, Kenneth Walker III, Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, and Alvin Kamara and by 2028 Saquon Barkley and Devon Achane do so as well.
Expect Taylor to receive an extension in the ballpark of Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey’s deals annually. They are the two highest earners at the RB position and each got 2 year extensions averaging $20.6 million and $19 million per year respectively. He likely will get an average either in between this total, or just exceeding Saquon record setting figure per year. Their Total Guarantees were in $36 million and $24 million as well.
Both Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey signed these extensions at age 28 which is at around the same part of their career as 27 year old Jonathan Taylor right now. Albeit their deals were ahead of time to pay them in their age 30-31 year seasons whereas Taylor’s 1st year of his extension would begin at his age 28 season.
Because of Taylor’s age at signing in the midst of a contract year, there is a chance his new deal would be more than 2 years. Devon Achane (age 25 when extended in 2026), James Cook (age 26 when extended in 2025) and Travis Etienne (age 27 when signed in 2026) all signed 4 year deals.
Albeit Cook and Etienne signed theirs at $11.5-$12 million respectively. Achane got $16 million per year, but he got the lowest % of his contract guaranteed of any RB making over $12 million by a large margin at 27.2% ($24 million total guaranteed out of $64 million) and was the youngest RB of the trio, making his contract a more unique circumstance.
With all that in mind, here’s what Jonathan Taylor’s contract is likely going to be in the range of based off of current RB contracts* (no based off of insider information).
- 2-3 Years
- $37.4-$43.3 Million/$56.1-$65 Million (Median: $40.35/$60.55 Million)
- $18.7-$21.7 Million Average Annual Value (Median: $20.2 Million)
- $17.5-$25 Million/$30-$45 Million Total Guaranteed (Median: $21.25/$37.5 Million)
With the CBA increasing by $22 Million or $45.8 Million since Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey’s extensions in 2024-2025, Jonathan Taylor has the opportunity to reset the RB market and be the highest paid RB in NFL history by exceeding Achane’s extension total, Saquon’s Average Annual Value and Guarantees. Being only 27 means a 3 year contract could pay him handsomely for the rest of his 20s as his deal would expire just before he turns 30.
But it isn’t a guarantee Taylor exceeds Saquon and McCaffrey’s contract due to his lessened receiving value compared to them, so he could instead on the lower end of his contract range he could be in between the two or just below McCaffrey’s deal as the 2nd/3rd highest paid back in the NFL.
If the Colts end up giving Taylor a shorter deal, it is more likely going to be closer to Saquon/market topping deal. If its a longer deal, expect the per year cost to be lower and in the ball park of Christian McCaffrey’s deal or lower, as well as the contract to be front loaded to minimize the long term risk associated with a RB in his late 20s potentially regressing as most have at that age range. A 3 year deal could look like:
- 2027: $27 Million (highest paid RB just over Christian McCaffrey’s $26.4 Million under contract at this point*, currently 15 RBs with cap hits over $10 Million in 2027), $25 Million guaranteed.
- 2028: $17 Million (4th highest paid RB behind Kenneth Walker III, Saquon, and Achane under contract at this point*, currently 13 RBs with cap hits over $10 Million in 2028), $10 Million guaranteed.
- 2029: $10 Million (6th highest paid RB under contract at this point*, currently only 5 RBs with cap hits over $10 Million in 2029), $2.5 Million guaranteed.
*Remember that by 2029 there would be:
- 3 More draft classes of Running Backs added to the NFL, with early Round backs having high contracts for RBs.
- 3 Entire offseasons for teams to sign or extend backs, such as:
- Saquon Barkley
- Christian McCaffrey
- Derrick Henry
- Bijan Robinson
- Jahmyr Gibbs
- Josh Jacobs
- David Montgomery
- Breece Hall
- JK Dobbins
- D’Andre Swift
- Alvin Kamara
- Tony Pollard
- Aaron Jones
- James Conner
- Kenneth Walker III
- Kyren Williams
- The 2025 Rookie Draft class with Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton, Quinshon Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson, Cam Skattebo, etc.
By the end of a 3 year deal, the Colts would have minimal guarantees left if they want to move Jonathan Taylor for 2029 via trade or cut, and there would be a large host of RBs who would be over the $10 Million per year threshold at that time. Don’t be shocked if a vast majority of NFL teams have a RB making 7 figures per year with the increased salary cap.
If he has regressed by then, Taylor is a very moveable asset for potential draft pick compensation with minimal cap casualty ($7.5 Million in savings). If Jonathan Taylor is still running roughshod over NFL defenses at age 29, then he is an absolute steal of a value in 2029 at that price. Heck with this contract structure he could be moved in 2028 as well for similar savings, albeit with a $10 Million dead cap instead.
Jonathan Taylor is far from the only Running Back negotiating a new deal right now, as 2025 Yards from Scrimmage Leader Bijan Robinson and 2024’s TD Leader Jahmyr Gibbs are also due for new contracts as their rookie deals expire in 2026 (albeit both also have potential 5th year options in 2027 as 1st round draft picks). This is the first offseason both of them can negotiate a new deal, and neither is practicing at the beginning of Training Camp.
Taylor initially was going to be a fellow holdout/hold-in, but he was a full participant for the first day of camp. The Colts don’t the 5th year option to exercise like the Falcons and Lions with their star backs, so it makes sense that they would have more pressure to get a deal done quicker. With the those two’s deals looming, whoever signs first of the trio has the opportunity to either reset the elite RB market or maintain the status quo of the current market.
Ideally Chris Ballard and the Colts will get a deal done before the Falcons and Lions do with their star backs, otherwise their deals could risk stalling negotiations/making Taylor’s deal more expensive. So far the Colts and Taylor’s contract situation seems the closest to resolving, but in the NFL things can change very quickly.
