The NFL trade deadline came and went Tuesday afternoon and the Indianapolis Colts underperformed – kind of like they’ve been doing on the field this season.
The Colts were offered multiple trades for running back Jonathan Taylor in the last week, league sources told OutKick and Digital, adding that several of those offers included multiple picks and even high draft picks.
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But the Colts were intent on getting some sort of blockbuster deal for Taylor.
And they did not get that, so they did not trade Taylor.
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor takes off on a run Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, during the game against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (USA TODAY Network)
The Colts also engaged in conversations with at least one other team (the Minnesota Vikings, one source said) about Daniel Jones but kept their embattled starting quarterback.
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The Colts did, however, trade a pair of solid but not outstanding receivers in Josh Downs and Keenan Allen.
Excuse us while we yawn.
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The Colts added a fourth- and fifth-round pick for Downs in their trade with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Colts also added a sixth-round pick in 2027 from the San Francisco 49ers for Allen.
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Keenan Allen runs through a drill during a joint training camp practice with the Atlanta Falcons on Aug. 20, 2026, at Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Ind. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Both Downs and Allen moving on make sense in that Downs asked to be traded a couple of weeks ago, Allen is 34 years old, and both are playing on expiring contracts.
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But it’s the stuff the Colts failed to do that raises eyebrows.
They had a trade for Taylor in the offing the last week or so. Fox Sports reported that offer was from the New York Giants and would have brought a second-round and fifth-round pick for Taylor.
Jonathan Taylor No. 28 of the Indianapolis Colts reacts after a 24-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter of an NFL game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 20, 2026, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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And they decided not to pull the trigger.
That trade would have sent the Colts a package somewhat similar to one the San Francisco 49ers gave up for Christian McCaffrey, but as the Colts considered the offer, the Giants pulled it. The Colts wanted a deal that included more picks or a higher pick than the No. 2 selection.
Yes, the Colts wanted a No. 1 pick for Taylor.
And no one offered that, so the club informed Taylor he wasn’t being traded. The same with Jones as he seemed to know by early Tuesday afternoon that he was not going to be traded.
The Colts had other opportunities to make trades to increase their future draft capital but apparently dithered.
A league source told OutKick and Digital that the Colts could have traded starting defensive tackle Grover Stewart for a fifth-round pick. The offer was upgraded to a fourth-round pick and another late-round pick.
But as the Colts waited to get an even better offer, all offers were pulled.
So Stewart remains with the team.
The messaging the Colts apparently put out through various media outlets after Tuesday’s trade deadline anticlimax surrounding Taylor is simply astounding: They didn’t want have a garage sale that could potentially hurt their ability to hire a top general manager or perhaps head coach if current coach Shane Steichen is fired after this season.
They kept Taylor and Jones to use them as a lure for a future executive or coach.
That, by the way, is ridiculous reasoning.
The Colts wanted to keep two players that haven’t been able to lift the current team above its 2-7 record as a way of somehow convincing a future unidentified GM or head coach to work in Indy.
That is illogical because a future GM or coach might want the use of more draft picks to build their team in whatever image they wish rather than inheriting players currently on the team.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones runs off the field following an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Oct. 5, 2025. (AJ Mast/AP Photo)
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
And this: It is quite possible that after spending the last couple of weeks on trade watch, and delivering what sounded like a farewell message following Sunday’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Taylor might be disappointed he’s still on a losing team instead of headed to a team that wanted him for a postseason push.
The Colts have been a grand disappointment this season.
And their work leading right up to the NFL trade deadline was more of the same.
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