Jonathan Taylor Trade: Would Bills Pay 'McCaffrey Price' to Colts?

We sense that the Bills' interest level on Jonathan Taylor is similar to what it was on McCaffrey. Exploration is merited ... but letting young incumbent James Cook serve as the bell cow in Buffalo seems merited, too.

The Indianapolis Colts have created the impression that they are being magnanimous in having granted unhappy running back Jonathan Taylor permission to seek his own trade.

But the devil is in the details ... and as a result, Taylor is likely to struggle to find a suitor.

Why? According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Colts are seeking "even more" than the package the Carolina Panthers got for Christian McCaffrey during the 2022 season. The San Francisco 49ers gave Carolina three 2023 picks (second, third, and fourth) and a fifth-rounder in 2024.

Another report sets another lofty price, as Indianapolis, per ESPN's Stephen Holder, are seeking a first-round pick for Taylor.

As Buffalo Bills fans remember, last year when the Panthers were dangling McCaffrey, they reportedly wanted "multiple first-round picks" - at which point the Bills backed way out. ... and eventually, Carolina settled for less.

Maybe that'll happen here ... though logic tells us that the Colts - way before they truly compromise on their demands to trade Taylor - will sit on their hands. Taylor is 24, is playing on a cheap contract, can be tagged for 2024 ... and is playing on a bad Colts team that can afford patience. In other words, there isn't exactly a "Super Bowl urgency'' for team owner Jim Irsay to truly oversee any big move.

We sense that the Bills' interest level is similar to what it was on McCaffrey. Exploration is merited ... but letting young incumbent James Cook serve as the bell cow in Buffalo seems merited, too.

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Mike Fisher
MIKE FISHER

Mike Fisher - as a newspaper beat writer and columnist and on radio and TV, where he is an Emmy winner - has covered the NFL since 1983. He is the author of two best-selling books on the NFL.