Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Agent for Colts RB Jonathan Taylor fuels trade speculation

By Vinny Somma | Last updated 7/26/23

Things in Indianapolis are starting to get ugly.

Colts owner Jim Irsay sparked debate on Wednesday when he took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the diminishing running back market. Irsay shot down any attempt to renegotiate the collective bargaining agreement that would help support the state of the position, claiming doing so would be operating in "bad faith."

NFL Running Back situation- We have negotiated a CBA,that took years of effort and hard work and compromise in good faith by both sides..to say now that a specific Player category wants another negotiation after the fact,is inappropriate. Some Agents are selling ‘bad faith’..
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) July 26, 2023

Irsay's comments caught the attention of Malki Kawa, the agent of Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor, who quickly fired a rebuttal at Irsay.

Bad faith is not paying your top offensive player https://t.co/ZYvrLhxygG
— malki kawa (@malkikawa) July 27, 2023

Kawa then proceeded to like a tweet stating that his client should "request a trade immediately," which kick-started speculation on Twitter of Taylor exiting Indianapolis.

Malki Kawa, Jonathan Taylor’s agent, just liked a tweet saying JT should request a trade pic.twitter.com/hJKwYxDx9s
— Barstool Indy (@barstoolindy) July 27, 2023

The good news for Taylor, Taylor's agent and Colts fans alike, is that general manager Chris Ballard will likely head the contract talks involving the team's starting running back.

"The market is what the market is," Colts general manager Ballard said on Tuesday when asked about the state of running back contracts, via The Athletic. "But saying that... You pay guys that are gonna help you win, regardless of the position. We think very highly of Jonathan. ... We think that'll play out over time and work out the way it should either way."

Taylor, 24, is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Hobbled by injuries this past season, the Wisconsin product failed to crack the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his four-year career, totaling just 861 yards in 11 games – a far cry from his 2021 showing, when he led the NFL in yards from scrimmage (2171) and total touchdowns (20).

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