Colts Fire Sale: Jonathan Taylor Trade Price Set as Indianapolis Eyes 3-4 More Deals

The Indianapolis Colts are not done selling. According to a new report from veteran NFL insider Jason La Canfora, the Colts are expected to make another three or four trades before the NFL trade deadline, with star running back Jonathan Taylor now firmly on the market at a reported asking price of a second-round draft pick. The Colts fire sale, which already sent two Pro Bowl linemen out of town, is turning into a full rebuild — and the Baltimore Ravens' quarterback crisis may be about to hand Indianapolis yet another trade partner.

The report, published on Monday, November 2, 2026, paints a picture of an organisation that has fully embraced the teardown. Ownership, the report says, is prepared to strip the roster "down to the studs" in order to hand a new regime as much draft capital and salary-cap flexibility as possible. With the trade deadline set for Tuesday, November 10, at 4 p.m. ET, the Colts have just over a week to finish the job — and rival executives believe they intend to use every hour of it.

Key Points

• Jason La Canfora reports the Colts are expected to make 3-4 more trades before the November 10 deadline.
• One NFL general manager believes Indianapolis wants a second-round pick for All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor.
• A high-ranking team official says ownership is "perfectly fine tearing it down to the studs" and "motivated to move."
• Cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward are named as potential departures, and at least one wide receiver trade is expected.
• The Ravens have contacted the Bears about backup quarterback Tyson Bagent, their reported top target after Lamar Jackson's injury.

What Happened

La Canfora's report, written for Casino.org, says no team has signalled a greater willingness to sell ahead of the deadline than Indianapolis. The Colts have already traded their best offensive and defensive linemen: eight-time Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson went to the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick, and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner returned to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2027 fourth-round pick. General manager Chris Ballard has already been fired. Now, the report says, the teardown is only just getting started.

"She seems perfectly fine tearing it down to the studs," a high-ranking team official from a club that has been in contact with the Colts told La Canfora, alluding to hands-on owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon. "They are motivated to move."

The biggest question, La Canfora writes, is whether the teardown will include Taylor, the 27-year-old perennial All-Pro running back. His answer is blunt: "We'd be quite surprised if it did not." Taylor is not old, but he needs another contract extension to be assured of still being in Indianapolis whenever the Colts are good again, and the franchise, the report argues, needs a few years to reposition itself as a contender.

One NFL general manager told La Canfora he believes the Colts want a second-round pick for Taylor, adding that he thinks "that's a reasonable ask." A salary-cap executive sizing up Taylor's deal described it as attractive on the buy side: "He's making $1M a game for the next two years (2027, 2028), essentially, with only one year guaranteed." Because running back is a position of extreme attrition, the report says, the Colts are likely to take the Taylor talks down to the wire. One executive suggested the Denver Broncos, who have cycled through options at running back under Sean Payton without sustaining the consistent ground game he covets, as a possible landing spot. "Regardless, I expect him to be traded," La Canfora writes.

Background and Context

The Taylor trade talk is not new — but the Colts' position has plainly changed. In late October, reports said the Minnesota Vikings were expected to inquire about Taylor, with the asking price disputed: one report put it at a first-round pick, another at a second-round pick plus more. At that time, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Irsay-Gordon did not want to trade Taylor, and that his guess was the Colts would not move him. That was before the firings, before the Nelson and Buckner deals, and before Sunday's 42-7 hammering at Jacksonville dropped Indianapolis to 2-6.

The Jaguars loss, in which Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw for 210 yards and three touchdowns, underlined how far the Colts have fallen. The remainder of their season, La Canfora writes, will now be about rebuilding the roster, evaluating younger players and protecting expensive contracts from further injury — including that of highly paid starter Daniel Jones, who is still struggling with the effects of the Achilles injury that ended his 2025 season. Beyond the trade discussions, the report adds, former first-round pick Anthony Richardson could also see time at quarterback down the stretch.

The Colts host the Dallas Cowboys on November 8, two days before the deadline, in what now looks less like a season-defining game and more like a final shop window for the veterans still on the roster.

Colts Fire Sale: What a Jonathan Taylor Trade Would Mean

A Taylor trade would be the defining move of the Colts' rebuild, and the most painful for fans. Taylor is the offence's signature player, a former rushing champion and one of the league's few running backs who can genuinely carry a game plan. Moving him for a second-round pick would signal that Indianapolis is not trying to patch a 2-6 team into contention — it is starting over, and it is willing to wait years for the payoff.

The cornerback market may move first. La Canfora names Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward as the potential departures. Gardner is likely to return from a more minor injury, but he is guaranteed $26 million next season, and the Colts would have to be willing to assume salary to facilitate a trade. Ward is due $18 million in 2027 with no guarantees, making him the cleaner contract to move. "Oh, I think they want to move a corner," the high-ranking official said.

Wide receiver is next in line. "It would be quite surprising if the Colts did not trade at least one wide receiver," La Canfora writes. Josh Downs made headlines when his trade request came to light, and veteran Keenan Allen, who signed in Indianapolis only a few months ago, is someone the team is "very open to moving," though he is not expected to command a big return. Put together — a running back, a cornerback, a receiver or two — and the report's forecast of "at least another 3-4 deals" starts to look conservative rather than bold.

Reactions and Quotes

The reporting itself is the reaction that matters most: rival executives are openly describing a seller with no sentimental attachments left. "They are motivated to move," the high-ranking official said of Indianapolis. On Taylor, the general manager's assessment — "that's a reasonable ask" — suggests the second-round price is not a fantasy figure designed to be negotiated down, but a number the market could actually meet.

The Ravens angle adds a second front to the story. According to La Canfora, as reported by Heavy.com, Baltimore has already contacted Chicago on November 1 about backup quarterback Tyson Bagent, with multiple high-ranking NFL personnel executives identifying Bagent as the Ravens' top pursuit. "Chicago doesn't have to trade him. They like him … Wonder how hard they squeeze DeCosta?" one general manager told La Canfora, referring to Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta. The same report notes that Baltimore is in a desperate position after DeCosta traded a second-round pick for a concussed offensive lineman, and that Chicago has rebuffed overtures for Bagent through the summer.

Bagent's case is a study in leverage. He is 26, he makes $4 million this year and $4 million next year, and he has familiarity with Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, who was Chicago's offensive coordinator last season. But his performances this season, filling in for Caleb Williams in three games, were modest: 66 percent completions, 6.4 yards per attempt, no passing touchdowns and three interceptions. Heavy's assessment is that a Day 2 selection might be ambitious on that production alone — but Baltimore's urgency, with Jackson on injured reserve and Huntley hurt, could still force Chicago's price up.

Why It Matters

Trade-deadline fire sales are often talked about more than they are executed. Teams usually keep one or two veterans to preserve the locker room, protect ticket sales or avoid admitting a season is lost. What makes the Colts' situation different is the apparent absence of any such brake: the owner is described as comfortable with a full teardown, the general manager who built the roster is gone, and the two biggest names on the lines are already elsewhere. If Taylor, a cornerback and a receiver all leave within eight days, Indianapolis will have converted one of the league's most expensive veteran cores into a pile of future picks in a matter of weeks.

For the rest of the league, that matters twice over. First, it floods the market: contenders hunting for a running back, a cornerback or receiver depth will be calling Indianapolis first, and the Colts' willingness to absorb salary — as with Gardner — could decide where those players land. Second, it sets the tone for the 2027 offseason. A team with draft capital, cap space and a new regime is a team that can move aggressively for a quarterback, and the Colts' handling of Jones and Richardson down the stretch will be watched as closely as their trade calls this week.

The Ravens subplot matters for a different reason. Baltimore, 4-4 after the 36-10 loss at Buffalo, hosts Jacksonville on Thursday night with its quarterback room in crisis: Jackson needs thumb surgery and is on injured reserve, Tyler Huntley suffered a turf toe injury, and even emergency third quarterback Joe Fagnano needed treatment on his ankle and foot in the Buffalo game. If the Ravens pay a premium for Bagent, it will be the clearest possible measure of how thin the margin is between a playoff chase and a lost season.

What Happens Next

The clock is the story now. The deadline is Tuesday, November 10, at 4 p.m. ET, and the Colts' next game — at home against Dallas on November 8 — is the last audition before it. Expect the Taylor talks to run to the wire, as La Canfora predicts, with running-back-needy teams weighing the injury risk at the position against a contract that is, by star standards, affordable. The cornerback and receiver deals, if they come, may move sooner, since those markets traditionally clear earlier in deadline week.

On the Baltimore side, the short week sharpens everything. The Ravens cannot wait until November 10 to solve their quarterback problem if they want a new arrival practised and ready for Thursday's game against Jacksonville. A Bagent deal, if it happens, would therefore likely come quickly — or not at all, with Baltimore instead riding Fagnano and hoping Huntley's toe heals. Either way, the next 48 hours should tell us whether the Ravens' desperation is a negotiating tactic or a genuine emergency.

For Indianapolis, the longer question starts on November 11: what does a roster stripped "down to the studs" actually look like, who is the next general manager, and how long will fans be asked to wait for the rebuild to bear fruit? Those answers will define the franchise far longer than any single trade return.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are the Colts really trading Jonathan Taylor?

No trade is final yet. But La Canfora reports that he expects Taylor to be traded, with a second-round pick the believed asking price, and says he would be surprised if the teardown did not include the star running back.

How many more trades could the Colts make?

The report expects at least another three or four deals before the November 10 deadline, on top of the Nelson and Buckner trades already completed.

Which other Colts players could be traded?

Cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward are named as candidates, and at least one wide receiver — with Josh Downs and Keenan Allen mentioned — is expected to move.

Why are the Ravens interested in Tyson Bagent?

Baltimore lost Lamar Jackson to thumb surgery and injured reserve, Tyler Huntley hurt his toe, and emergency quarterback Joe Fagnano was also banged up against Buffalo. Bagent, 26, knows Ravens coordinator Declan Doyle from Chicago and is under contract at $4 million per year.

When is the NFL trade deadline?

Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at 4 p.m. ET. The Colts host Dallas on November 8, two days before the deadline.

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Featured image: an illustrative generated image of a football player in a dark blue uniform running with the ball under stadium lights, not an actual game photograph.