Patriots Good Jonathan Taylor Trade Fit Over Zeke Signing?

After becoming frustrated with the Indianapolis Colts and reportedly requesting a trade, the New England Patriots are being linked to star running back Jonathan Taylor.

The New England Patriots are in the market for a running back, at least on the free-agent side of things, as evidenced by their recent visits with Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette, and Darrell Henderson. Despite these players having all spent some time in New England, none have walked away with a contract ... at least yet. 

With the Patriots' pursuit of running back help following their decision to release James Robinson being public knowledge now, it felt inevitable that they'd be linked with Indianapolis Colts star Jonathan Taylor amid a public dispute over a long-term contract extension. 

In an article detailing trade fits for the now disgruntled Colts star, NFL.com listed the Patriots as a potential destination. But why, you ask, because the Patriots are one of the teams who haven't paid running backs top-dollar historically. 

"Bill Belichick has a history of adding players who have stung him previously," NFL.com writes. "Matthew Judon most recently and Taylor was an absolute monster against the Patriots in Week 15 of the 2021 season, running 29 times for 170 yards, including a 67-yard TD -- one of the longest TD runs against a Belichick defense in recent years." 

Taylor certainly burned the Patriots when he debuted against them in 2021, and as the article goes on to note, his absence from last season's matchup was apparent as the Colts garnered just 121 total yards in the 26-3 loss to New England. 

There is no arguing that Taylor is one of the NFL's top backs, and the Patriots would likely love to have him on their roster; that goes for most of the league. But as the article concludes, Taylor's presumably high price tag will keep New England from truly being in the conversation to land him.

This means that it will likely be another case where fans will sit and watch as the media links the Patriots to a player, who they'll undoubtedly want to have, but can't ultimately due to differences in valuations.

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