Colts RB Jonathan Taylor may have unique reason to take strong stance amid contract uncertainty

It's no secret that Indianapolis Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor is looking to sign a contract extension that could keep him "a Colt for life" but also give him a deserved pay raise. That said, he remains set to play on the final season of his existing contract through the latter stages of the NFL's ongoing summer break. 

On Thursday, Colts reporter James Boyd of The Athletic suggested that fans should expect Taylor to hold in -- report for training camp but not fully participate in all team drills -- when he and others are due to show up for work on July 28. Boyd also shared that Taylor may have more leverage now regarding negotiations than what occurred when the 27-year-old didn't play until Week 5 of the 2023 season amid a contract standoff. 

Jonathan Taylor could attempt to force the Colts' hand

"General manager Chris Ballard...[is] entering the final year of his own deal, and a Taylor extension — or lack thereof — may serve as a litmus test for just how much power Ballard has at this point in his 10-year tenure," Boyd wrote. "He’s typically rewarded homegrown talent, and with what looks like a playoffs-or-else season staring the GM in the face, can Ballard or the Colts really afford for Taylor’s contract situation to linger into the regular season like it did three years ago? If the Colts don’t want to pay up to keep Taylor for the long haul, he would be wise to test their resolve by holding in during training camp, which starts in two weeks." 

ESPN stats show that Taylor ended last season with a league-high 18 rushing touchdowns and 323 carries. He was third with 1,585 rushing yards, and he also tallied 46 receptions for 378 yards and a pair of touchdowns. 

Such numbers only tell part of the story regarding how important Taylor will likely be for the 2026 Colts. Quarterback Daniel Jones spent the offseason program recovering from the torn Achilles tendon he suffered on Dec. 7, 2025, and it's still too early to say what Jones will and won't be as an active QB1 this coming September. 

Colts may lean on Jonathan Taylor more than before

"That means, especially early on, the Colts’ offense will run through Taylor, just as it did last season when he tallied a league-high 323 carries and touched the ball a whopping 369 times in 17 games," Boyd said about uncertainty related to Jones. "Taylor could, in fact, be even more involved, as the Colts will try to keep their 29-year-old QB healthy while they attempt to reestablish the high-powered offense they had through the first half of last season."

Back on June 24, Colts reporter Stephen Holder of ESPN suggested that the Colts had "shown little initiative when it comes to extending" Taylor this offseason. Perhaps Taylor could change that by what he does and doesn't do in the early days of training camp.