What's next for Jonathan Taylor after Colts could not find a trade

The Indianapolis Colts gave running back Jonathan Taylor the opportunity to seek a trade this preseason, but they had to have something completed before Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET roster deadline. 

That deadline came and went without the Colts and Taylor finding an acceptable trade according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, which will keep him on the Colts' roster. For now.

Taylor has been on the PUP list, and it is expected that he will remain there. If so, that will sideline him for at least the first four weeks of the 2023 regular season. 

None of this guarantees that Taylor will suit up for the Colts this season, or that he will not still be traded at some point. There was some purpose for Tuesday's deadline due to his placement on the PUP list, but it doesn't mean that trade talks can't pick up again at some point over the coming weeks and months. It's not like it was a hard trade deadline that prevented a future deal.

There is nothing stopping an interested team from picking up the phone on Wednesday and making an offer to the Colts for Taylor. 

They just need to be prepared for the fact he would not be available until after Week 4 of the season. 

The trade deadline at the end of October could also be a potential date to watch for a trade. 

There were only a handful of teams reported to show interest in Taylor, but the Miami Dolphins were rumored to be the most heavily involved in trade talks.

Taylor is one of the NFL's best running backs, but asked for a trade out of Indianapolis following a very public back-and-forth between him, his agent and Colts owner Jim Irsay over the value of running backs in the modern NFL. Running backs have become a battleground position in the league between players and owners as teams have started to view them as largely interchangeable players that are not worth long-term contracts. Things reached a boiling point on that front this offseason when Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard were unable to get long-term deals while on the franchise tag. 

Taylor will be a free agent after this season. If he is still with the Colts through the end of this season he could find himself in a similar situation where he gets the franchise tag placed on him. At that point, the Colts could again try to trade him or face an even uglier situation than they currently are with him.