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Jonathan Taylor Trade Rumors: Vikings and Broncos among potential landing spots
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- Jonathan Taylor Trade Rumors: Vikings and Broncos among potential landing spots
Jonathan Tayloris the talk of the town after the Colts shifted their stance on trading him. Even amid their losing streak, it looked like they were going to hold on to the face of their franchise. Per The Ringer's Tom Pelissero, that's not the case anymore.
Though it's clear they want a king's ransom for the star running back, all signs point to them moving him before next Tuesday's trade deadline. Below I'll list every team that has been linked to Taylor and include updates over the next week as the rumor mill turns. The teams are loosely ordered by how likely I think they are to trade for Taylor.
NFL: Indianapolis Colts at Minnesota Vikings
2026 NFL Trade Deadline Preview: Jonathan Taylor, Brian Thomas Jr. headline top trade candidates
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The NFL trade deadline is a week away and teams are already making moves to go all-in or rebuild for 2027. Jonathan Taylor and Brian Thomas Jr. are two of the biggest names to watch as the deadline approaches.
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Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings make too much sense. They have possibly the best defense in the NFL and a weak passing attack. Given that a superstar quarterback isn't walking through the door anytime soon, they should be an old-school, ground-and-pound offense that complements the defense for low-scoring wins. They don't have the horses for that in their backfield right now. Aaron Joneshas had a solid season while averaging 4.2 yards per carry, but he can't make it through a game without picking up a new injury. Jordan Mason, on the other hand, has missed time with an injury of his own and is plodding his way to 3.9 yards per attempt. Minnesota also has extra draft capital in 2027 via the Jonathan Greenardtrade, which netted them the Eagles' third-round pick.
ESPN's Adam Schefter also named that as one of the major players in Taylor trade discussions.
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Denver Broncos
The Broncos were reportedly the team that nearly outbid the Texans for David Montgomeryin the offseason. Jonah Colemanhas emerged as a solid option for them, but RJ Harvey is on injured reserve and J.K. Dobbins—now relegated to backup duties—is averaging a dreary 3.3 yards per carry. Taylor would immediately take over as the workhorse back on a team that has failed to create a successful ground game for Sean Payton's entire tenure as head coach. Local reporter Zac Stevensmakes it sound like they are pushing hard to get a deal done.
Not that Jim Nantz and J.J. Watt are known as insiders, but the duo also heavily alluded to this deal during CBS's broadcast of the Broncos' win over the Chiefs.
The Broncos and the Vikings are the two most likely landing spots.
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New York Giants
The Giants have also been repeatedly named at the top of the Taylor sweepstakes. They're in a weird spot this year. At 4-2-1, they are comfortably leading the NFC East race. DraftKings has them at -150 (60 percent) to claim the division. John Harbaugh—in his first year as the Giants' boss—should rightfully want to increase his odds of winning this year. On the other hand, they're down to their third-string quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, who was a midseason acquisition. Even if McCarthy doesn't stay red hot in the back half of the season, Taylor can be both a win-now and win-later acquisition. He is under contract through 2028 and the Giants should be at least as good as they are now when Dart is healthy next year. It sounds like the Giants have sold themselves on this move.
Cam Skattebo's weird season makes the Taylor trade even more viable. He leads all running backs in fumbles and was benched after losing the ball in overtime versus the Commanders. Skattebo came back with a vengeance in Week 7 with a 17/124/1 rushing line, though he got banged up at the end of the game. With his minor injury and Tyrone Tracyon IR, the Giants could view running back as a need regardless of the availability of Taylor. The fact that a superstar happens to be up for grabs is simply fortuitous timing.
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Green Bay Packers
The Packers are the last of the big four teams routinely linked to Taylor, including by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, who didn't list the Seahawks or Bengals. Though that's simply pulling from the ticker on his Sunday morning segment.
The Packers are getting nothing out of their ground game. They are dead last in EPA per rush attempt. MarShawn Lloydaveraged a pitiful 1.9 yards after contact per carry before passing the baton to Jacobs, who is barely better at 2.1. Green Bay's running backs have created three explosive runs. They belong to Chris Brooks(on IR) and Kaleb Johnson(healthy scratch in Week 8).
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The NFL's investigation into the allegations of domestic abuse against Jacobs is still ongoing. Several new allegations were recently uncovered via a public records request. Head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters he anticipates Jacobs being a member of the team going forward.
Rapoport also said over the weekend that Jacobs will continue to play, but a suspension remains in the cards. The league could suspend Jacobs or place him back on the Commissioner's Exempt List at any time. The uncertainty around his situation could push the Packers to make a move, though their commitment to Jacobs through an ugly legal situation suggests they still have faith in him as a talent. If they do make a move at running back, it wouldn't surprise me to see them go cheaper than Taylor. Tony Pollardstands out as an option. Even James Conner could be in play if he's able to get off IR before the deadline.
Cincinnati Bengals
Schefter didn't specifically mention the Bengals in his Sunday morning hit, but NFL insider Jordan Schultz has included them as a team to watch.
Cincy's rushing attack is struggling this year. They are 22nd in EPA per rush attempt and Chase Brownranks 38th in yards after contact per carry. Samaje Perineis shockingly ahead of him in that metric, though he only ranks 30th. The Bengals' defense has improved this year, but it's not going to carry them to a title. Their path to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy ultimately runs through having the league's best offense. Taylor would round out an offense that already has an unstoppable passing attack.
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Seattle Seahawks
This destination continues to look less likely by the week. Schultz included Seattle in his list of teams interested in Taylor, but he's in the minority of reporters in that regard. The Seahawks just got first-round pick Jadarian Priceand Zach Charbonnetback from stints on IR. Seattle trusts Charbonnet to do the dirty work and doesn't have much tape on Price because of the month he spent on injured reserve. It would be surprising for them to throw in the towel on Price after just four games.
At 4-4, they might not feel confident in pushing their chips in for the 2026 season either. The Giants at -160 (61.5 percent) are considerably more likely to make the playoffs than Seattle at -138 (58 percent), if you take DraftKings' numbers at face value. Seattle is undoubtedly a better offense when they have an elite running back to lean on. Given Sam Darnold's middling play this year, they are likely a team that benefits more than the average roster from a great running back. But their investment in Price and shaky start make a trade unlikely.
Washington Commanders
The Commanders stick out as a logical fit for Taylor, but reporters aren't bringing them up at all, so I'll keep this brief. Even at 2-4-1, they're still in the hunt for the NFC East crown. Their Week 10 game versus the Giants will have a massive impact on their place in the standings. With Jacory Croskey-Merritton IR, Kaytron Allenwaived, Jeremy McNicholspotentially done for the year with a foot injury, and Jerome Fordwaived, almost every notable member of the backfield is out of the picture. Rachaad Whiteand Austin Ekelerare the last ones standing. For a team with a dynamic, dual-threat quarterback, the Commanders do not have a running back who can take advantage of the extra attention defenses pay to Jayden Daniels. The Commanders will likely do their due diligence regarding Taylor, but the lack of buzz connecting them to the trade talks likely means they're not in the running.
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Indianapolis Colts
It's worth mentioning that the Colts aren't obligated to trade Taylor. Their asking price of a CMC-level haul could price all potential partners out.
Taylor is an elite runner, but McCaffrey's abilities as a receiver haven't been matched by anyone since Marshall Faulk. McCaffrey was also 26 when he was traded. Taylor is 27 and will turn 28 at the end of the regular season. There are enough interested parties and a desire to make this happen from the Colts' end that I bet a deal gets done, but it's not a foregone conclusion.
