Jonathan Taylor Trade to Philadelphia Eagles Dream Dies; Colts Sign New Contract
A Jonathan Taylor trade to the the Philadelphia Eagles? It was all along a pipe-dream concept stemming from a trio of issues ...
One, he's a local guy, from Salem, N.J. Two, the undefeated Eagles are, under GM Howie Roseman, in the "Dream Team'' business. And three, maybe Philly needed a running back as badly as Taylor didn't want to be a Colt.
But all that changed on Saturday, as a trade dream has been crushed by the Colts not only activating Taylor off PUP so he can debut in NFL Week 5, but also bending a bit to provide him with the new contract - the lack of which has been the source of conflict between the star and his team.
Reports have it that the two sides have agreed to a three-year, $42 million contract extension, and that it comes including $26.5 million guaranteed.
This doesn't completely erase the trend toward "the devaluation of the running back.'' But it certainly represents some bend from Colts owner Jim Irsay, who created a furor with some goofy comments about running back value that hurt his relationship with his star.
But now? Taylor is joining a 2-2 Colts team that is surprisingly not terrible and one that might even consider itself a contender in the weak AFC South. Indeed, add a young All-Pro running back, and suddenly, moods are transformed.
And in Philly? As much as many fans (and maybe the team itself) played with the idea, Taylor would have been quite a luxury piece in an offense that is in many ways centered around the running of MVP-caliber QB Jalen Hurts - and the work of running backs like D'Andre Swift, another local guy made good who is averaging a crazy 6.2 yards per carry.
