Jonathan Taylor Hints Exit After Colts' 27-23 Loss as 2-7 Slide Nears Trade Deadline

Q: With Indianapolis in a fire sale, which surprise team might swoop in to secure Taylor for a playoff run?

The likeliest surprise team is the **San Francisco 49ers**. While the teams most commonly linked to Jonathan Taylor have been the Giants, Broncos, Vikings and Packers, outside speculation has increasingly pointed to San Francisco as a dark-horse contender. Mike Florio and Chris Simms both raised the possibility that the 49ers could make a late push, especially if they are worried about Christian McCaffrey’s lingering hamstring issue and want another elite back for a playoff run. That idea is surprising because San Francisco already has McCaffrey, but the fit is not hard to see. Taylor would give Kyle Shanahan another high-end weapon, reduce McCaffrey’s workload and make an already dangerous offense even harder to defend. Some reporting has framed it as the kind of aggressive, all-in move contenders make at the deadline. That said, it still looks more like an outside possibility than a favorite. Market-based odds and league reporting continue to suggest Taylor either stays in Indianapolis or lands with a more conventional suitor such as the Giants, Broncos or Vikings. The biggest obstacle remains Indianapolis’ price: the Colts are believed to want something close to a first-round value or a Christian McCaffrey-type package. So if the question is which **surprise** team could swoop in, it is the **49ers** — even if the safer expectation is that a deal, if one happens, comes from one of the better-known bidders.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Nov 9

Jonathan Taylor sounded like he was saying goodbye to Indianapolis after Sunday's 27-23 loss to Dallas, thanking the city and saying, "If it is [my last game], I'm very grateful."
The remarks came with the Colts at 2-7 on a five-game skid and Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET trade deadline approaching, putting the Pro Bowl running back at the center of fire-sale speculation.
New York had offered a package built around second- and fifth-round picks, but the Giants pulled back after Indianapolis held out for a first-round return, according to Fox's Jay Glazer.
Denver and Cincinnati were still cited as possible suitors, but Taylor's contract through 2028 gives the Colts leverage unless the front office cuts its asking price.
The uncertainty caps a broader teardown in Indianapolis, which already fired GM Chris Ballard and traded away Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner for future draft capital.