The New York Giants are being linked to Jonathan Taylor if the Indianapolis Colts decide to turn seller before the Nov. 10 NFL Trade Deadline. That would put one of the NFL’s best running backs on the board at the exact moment the Giants are searching for answers in their own backfield.
The fit is obvious on paper. The Giants ended their four-way timeshare at running back on Tuesday by releasing Najee Harris, but they still have not had a 20-yard run from a running back this season. Cam Skattebo has averaged 3.6 yards per carry with four fumbles, Tyrone Tracy is at 3.1 yards per carry and Devin Singletary is at 3.0.
Taylor is 27 years old and has been productive at a level few backs can match. He has four 1,000-yard seasons in his first six NFL seasons, three Pro Bowl appearances and a first-team All-Pro honor in 2021. In 2025, he piled up 1,585 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns, which is why any discussion of a New York Giants running back trade starts with whether Indianapolis would even listen.
The Colts’ own situation is what has pushed the possibility into view. They are 2-4, and they fired general manager Chris Ballard this week, which makes the team a candidate to move players if it goes into a fire sale. That is the opening the Giants would need, because Taylor is not the kind of player a team pries away cheaply.
His contract is the obstacle. Taylor signed a two-year, $44 million extension with the Colts that runs through the 2028 season, and an acquiring team would have to absorb the pro-rated portion of his 2026 salary plus roughly $34 million across the 2027 and 2028 seasons. There is also a 2028 out built into the deal, with a $7.5 million roster bonus due on the fifth day of the 2028 league year.
That is why the guesswork around the package is so wide. SB Nation’s Stampede Blue believes a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 third-round pick would be a reasonable price, while Pro Football and Sports Network’s trade machine puts the cost higher, at a first-round pick in either 2027 or 2028 plus a Day 2 asset. Kayvon Thibodeaux also surfaced in that simulator, which shows how quickly the price can move once a premium player becomes available.
Cap space is the other test, and it is not a small one. The Giants have just over $8 million in cap space, which makes it hard to picture them taking on Taylor without another move clearing room first. That is the friction in all of this: a team with a clear running back problem is being linked to a player who could fix it, but the draft capital and salary commitment required to land him are both steep.
If the Colts decide Taylor is available before Nov. 10, the Giants will be part of the conversation. The harder question is whether they can turn a watch list into an offer that Indianapolis would actually accept.
