Is Colts Running Back Jonathan Taylor Worth More Than a Washing Machine?
A few days ago the news broke that Jim Irsay found room in his slowly pumping heart of gold to allow Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor to seek a trade. Some fans might be unhappy about the situation. I know there are folks in Indianapolis who are still under the impression that running backs matter.
I want to make sure I don't sound ignorant here, so I'm not going to be too crazy with my take. I understand there's is a school of thought that says a Pro Bowl caliber running back could contribute something to an NFL franchise. I don't want to dismiss those opinions entirely. So I'll just pose one question.
"Is Jonathan Taylor worth more than a washing machine?"
Think about the impact a working washing machine has on an NFL franchise. Imagine your favorite team rolling out onto the field every Sunday in sweaty, grass-stained uniforms. That's disgusting and unsightly. Think about the time and money the Colts would have to spend to hire an Amish woman to handwash everybody's dirty laundry. A washing machine is a valuable trade piece. The Flint Tropics famously traded away a washing machine for aging Kentucky Colonels star Ed Monix, who in turn led the Tropics to a Flint Michigan Mega Bowl victory.
Ok, that's enough shitty jokes. In all reality, there are reports that the Colts are trying to get a 1st round pick in exchange for Taylor. That would be great, but lets be realistic here... That's not happening. If it does, Jim Irsay would be credited with one of the greatest fleecings of all time.
Maybe I'm not giving JT enough credit. Maybe he's worth more than I think. But nothing about what's happened in the running back market this off-season leads me to believe that the Colts will be able to get anything too significant in return.
If the Colts managed to get a 2nd (or even 3rd) round pick in exchange for Taylor, I'd be perfectly thrilled with that. Taylor has one more year left, and clearly is not going to re-sign with the Colts. They have to get something. NFL reporter Albert Breer spokewith people around the league, and reportedly this is what people think Taylor is worth on the open market
AFC GM: 2nd round pick
AFC exec: 3rd and 5th
NFC exec: 'Package in the value of 2nd or 3rd'
2nd AFC exec: 3rd or 4th
2nd NFC exec: 2nd or 3rd, 'Less than the McCaffrey trade'
3rd NFC exec: 'Maybe a day 2 pick'
3rd AFC exec: 3rd round pick
4th AFC exec: 2nd round pick
4th NFC exec: ''Possibly a day 2 pick' 5th NFC exec: A 4th that could turn into a 3rd under play-time conidiations.
It also appears that the Colts were trying to trade Taylor straight up for Raiders' Josh Jacobs. Which to me sounded fantastic, but the Raiders have shown no interest in that.
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The Colts just have to get something. I don't care who it is, what position he plays, what brand of washing machine it is, it doesn't matter. The Colts are rebuilding, and every pick counts. And with every day the Colts shop around Jonathan Taylor, his value is going to decrease. If someone offers them a 2nd rounder, they better jump on that. I'd even have a hard time saying no to a 3rd. Hopefully I'm way off on that, and there is more interest out there, but again, it's been BAD off-season for running backs, which makes worried that we're not going to get too much.
The Miami Dolphins seem to think they're a running back away from a Super Bowl. Maybe take advantage of their delusion.